AMERICAN  BOOK 
COMPANY  -  NEW  YORK 
CINCINNATI  •  CHICAGO 


UCSB  LIBRARY 


STORIES  FROM  ACLCS  GELLIUS 


EDITED    FOR   SIGHT  READING 

BY 
CHARLES  KNAPP,  PH.D. 

INSTRUCTOR  IN   LATIN,   BARNARD  COLLEGE,   NEW   YORK 


NEW  YORK  •:•  CINCINNATI  •:•  CHICAGO 

AMERICAN    BOOK    COMPANY 


COPTRiGHT,   1895,  BY 

AMERICAN  BOOK  COMPANY 


AXIL.    GBLL. 
A.    I. 


* 


PREFACE 


THE  statement  of  the  title-page  that  these  selections  from 
Aulus  Gellius  have  been  "edited  for  sight  reading"  calls 
for  a  few  words  of  explanation.  The  term  "  sight  reading  " 
may  denote  either  of  two  distinct  operations.  On  the  one 
hand  it  may  apply  to  the  pupil's  act  in  reading,  under  a 
teacher's  guidance,  Latin  hitherto  unseen.  On  the  other 
hand  it  may  denote  the  student's  act  in  reading  similar 
Latin  by  himself  without  the  aid  of  a  teacher.  In  the  one 
case  the  pupil's  ultimate  reliance  is  upon  his  instructor,  in 
the  other  upon  himself.  Of  these  two  senses  of  the  term 
the  latter  is  the  one  which  has  been  kept  especially  in  mind 
in  the  preparation  of  this  little  volume,  though  there  is 
nothing  to  hinder  its  use  according  to  the  former  method. 
The  book  is  intended  for  students  who,  while  still  in  a  very 
early  stage  of  their  Latin  studies,  yet  possess  a  fair  working 
vocabulary  and  a  reasonable  knowledge  of  the  fundamental 
principles  of  Latin  syntax.  I  have  aimed  to  give  in  the 
commentary  sufficient  assistance  to  enable  such  students  to 
read  the  selections  as  rapidly  and  intelligently  as  possible, 
and  without  the  need  of  any  helps  beyond  those  furnished 
by  the  book  itself.  Such  being  my  purpose,  I  have  no  fears 
that  the  vohime  of  commentary  will  be  found  excessive. 


4  PREFACE 

The  text,  in  point  of  language  and  spelling,  is  in  the 
main  that  of  Hertz,  as  given  in  his  critical  edition.  The 
chief  changes  will  be  found  on  page  39,  lines  6  to  10,  page 
68,  line  17,  and  page  79,  lines  7  and  8.  The  motive  of  these 
changes  has  been  to  supply  a  text  easily  readable  and  to 
obviate  the  necessity  of  a  long  and  intricate  note.  Through- 
out the  book  all  vowels  known  to  be  long  have  been  carefully 
marked.  In  syllables  containing  vowels  long  by  position  I 
have  followed  the  views  of  Anton  Marx,  as  explained  in  his 
Hulfsbiichlein  fur  die  Anssprache  der  lateinischen  Vokale 
in  positionslangen  Silben  (second  edition,  Berlin,  1889). 

I  am  under  especial  obligations  to  my  former  pupil,  Miss 
Alice  E.  Chapman,  who  has  read  the  book  in  manuscript 
and  while  passing  through  the  press,  and  has  made  many 
useful  suggestions.  CHARLES  KNAPP. 

BARNARD  COLLEGE,  June  1, 1895. 


INTRODUCTION 


I.    AULUS  GELLIUS  :  His  LIFE  AXD  STUDIES 

1.  Sources.  —  Of  the  life  of  Aulus  Gellius  but  little  is 
known;  and  that  little  is  to  be  obtained  only  by  a  careful 
study  of  his  one  work,  the  Nodes  Atticae.     He  is  not  named 
by  any  of  his  contemporaries  —  nor,  indeed,  by  any  author 
earlier  than  the  historian  Flavius  Vopiscus,  who  wrote  in 
the  opening  years  of  the  fourth  century  of  our  era.     He  is 
mentioned  several  times  by  the  grammarian  Servius  Hono- 
ratus,  who,  toward  the  close  of  the  same  century,  wrote  an 
elaborate  commentary  on  Vergil.     In  the  fourteenth  chapter 
of  the  ninth  book  of  his  De  Civitate  Dei  (published  between 
413  and  426),  St.  Augustine  speaks  of  Gellius  as  vir  elegan- 
tissimi  eloquii  (style)  et  multae  et  facundae  scientiae.     Pris- 
cianus   Caesariensis,   a   grammarian   of  the   fifth   century, 
expressly  cites  him  more  than  once.     None  of  these  refer- 
ences, however,  conveys   any   information  concerning   our 
author's  life.      Hence  we  are  reduced  to  piecing  together, 
as  best  we  can,  the  isolated  passages  in  which  he  speaks, 
himself,  of  his  life  and  work.     These  passages  are,  in  gen- 
eral, of  the  nature  of  incidental  reminiscences,  rather  than 
of  intentional  transmission  of  personal  information. 

2.  Birth :    Time  and  Place.  —  Of  the  place  of  his  birth, 
nothing  whatever  is  known.     It  has  indeed  been  inferred, 
from  an  examination  of  his  language  and  style,  that  he  was 

5 


G  INTRODUCTION 

born  in  Africa,  but  this  view  can  hardly  be  said  to  have 
been  fully  demonstrated.  From  the  fact  that  he  assumed 
the  toga  virilis  at  Home  (a  ceremony  which  took  place  usually 
before  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  year  of  a  boy's  life),  it 
is  clear  that,  if  born  elsewhere,  he  was  brought  to  Koine  at 
an  early  age. 

The  date  of  his  birth  can  be  determined  only  approxi- 
mately. We  know  that  he  spent  some  time  at  Athens.  In 
all  his  references  to  this  period,  he  characterizes  himself 
and  his  associates  as  iuvenes.  Now  if  we  could  define  this 
term  precisely,  and  if  we  could  tell  exactly  when  he  was 
in  Athens,  the  determination  of  the  year  of  his  birth  would 
be  a  mere  matter  of  arithmetic.  But,  unfortunately,  neither 
of  these  things  can, "be  done  with  absolute  certainty.  While 
the  term  iuvenis  might  be  applied  with  propriety  to  any  one 
between  the  ages  of  seventeen  and  forty-five,  there  is  never- 
theless some  proof  that  it  was  generally  applied,  when  used 
at  all  strictly,  to  the  latter  part  of  this  period.  For  example, 
a  remark  of  Varro  (see  page  26,  note  2)  is  cited  to  the  effect 
that,  with  the  thirtieth  year,  adulescentia 1  ends,  and  iuventus 
begins.  That  Gellius  himself  understood  the  term  in  this 
stricter  sense,  may  be  inferred  from  the  following  considera- 
tions :  While  at  Athens  he  devoted  himself  to  philosophy, 
which  in  those  days  was  the  third  and  last  step  in  a  liberal 
education,  the  two  preceding  stages  consisting  of  grammar 
(which  included  literature)  and  rhetoric.  In  all  the  passages 
in  which  Gellius  speaks  of  his  grammatical  studies  at  Koine, 
he  describes  himself  as  adulescens  or  adulescentulus.  By 
thus  consistently  calling  liimself  adulescens  while  studying 
grammar  at  Koine,  but  iuvenis  while  reading  in  philosophy 
at  Athens,  he  makes  it  evident,  I  think,  that  some  consider- 
able interval  elapsed  between  the  two  periods  of  his  life.  If 

1  Adulescentia  began  with  the  assumption  of  the  toga  virilis. 


AULUS   GELLIUS:     HIS   LIFE   AND   STUDIES  7 

we  assume  that,  at  the  time  of  his  residence  at  Athens,  he 
was  about  thirty  years  of  age,  we  shall  not  greatly  err. 

It  remains  to  determine,  if  possible,  the  date  of  his  sojourn 
in  Greece.  In  this  connection  we  have  but  a  single  hint  upon 
which  any  reliance  can  be  placed.  Gellius  informs  us  that, 
while  at  Athens,  he  saw  a  good  deal  of  the  philosopher  Pere- 
grinus  Proteus.  Since  Peregrinus  died  in  166  A.D.,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  Gellius'  residence  in  Attica  precedes  that  date. 
If  our  assumption  is  correct,  —  that  at  this  time  he  was  about 
thirty  years  old,  —  it  follows  that  he  was  born  not  later  than 
136  A.D.  It  is,  of  course,  possible  that  his  birth  preceded 
that  date  by  some  years,  but  upon  this  point  we  have  no 
definite  data. 

3.  Family ;    Early  Training.  —  Though  neither  the  time 
nor  the  place  of  his  birth  can  be  determined  with  certainty, 
it  may  reasonably  be    inferred    that  he   came   of  a  good 
family  —  a  family,  too,  possessed  of  considerable   wealth. 
This  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  was  able  to  study  under 
the  best  teachers  of  the  day ;  by  his  stay  in  Athens,  and 
his  journeys  to  other  parts  of  Greece;  and  by  the  further 
fact  that  he  held   judicial  office  at  Rome  —  a  distinction 
not  often  attainable  by  those  who  had  no  claim  to  be  con- 
sidered  wealthy.      He   studied   grammar    under   Sulpicius 
Apollinaris,  a  Carthaginian  scholar  of  great  learning  and 
distinction,  whom  he  esteemed  so  highly  that,  even  in  the 
years  of  his  later  life,  he  appealed  to  his  authority.     It  was 
doubtless   from  Apollinaris   that  he   received  the   abiding 
stimulus  which  led  him  to  devote  so  large  a  portion  of  his 
life,  even  in  the  midst  of  engrossing  occupations,  to  gram- 
matical and  literary  studies. 

4.  Studies  in  Rhetoric.  —  From  grammar,  Gellius  turned 
his  attention  to  rhetoric,  especially  under  Titus  Castricius, 
the  foremost  rhetorician  of  the  time,  who  had,  in  an  especial 
degree,  enjoyed  the  esteem  of  the  emperor  Hadrian.    Gellius 


8  INTRODUCTION 

was  on  intimate  terms,  also,  with  Antonius  lulianus,  a  Span- 
iard of  distinction,  resident  in  Rome  as  a  professional  teacher 
of  rhetoric.  Whether  he  ever  was,  technically  speaking,  a 
pupil  of  Antonius,  cannot  be  certainly  determined.  In  several 
passages,  Gellius  speaks  of  visiting  the  famous  rhetorician, 
M.  Cornelius  Fronto,  who  occupied  the  leading  position  in  the 
literary  circles  of  Rome  during  the  reign  of  Antoninus  Pius. 
Indeed,  his  contemporaries  regarded  him  as  a  rival  of  Cicero. 

From  the  accession  of  Hadrian  (117  A.D.),  the  literary 
history  of  the  second  century  is  the  history  of  the  develop- 
ment of  antiquarianism.  The  creative  faculty  was  extinct ; 
and  "the  literary  class  at  Rome  had  reached  the  point  at 
which  it  is  easier  to  make  books  about  books  than  to  make 
books  about  life,  and  of  course,  for  such  a  purpose,  the  oldest 
books  are  the  best."  This  tendency,  which,  though  it  cul- 
minated in  this  century,  began  long  before  that  time,  —  in 
fact,  as  early  as  the  days  of  Cicero  and  Horace,  —  was 
advanced  by  the  influence  of  Hadrian  and  by  the  teachings 
and  example  of  Apollinaris  and  Fronto.  We  are  told,  by  an 
ancient  author,  that  Hadrian  preferred  Cato  to  Cicero,  Ennius 
to  Vergil,  and  Caelius  Antipater  to  Sallust.  Apollinaris  de- 
voted especial  attention  to  Terence,  and  perhaps,  also,  to 
Plautus.  Fronto's  favorite  authors,  to  the  study  of  whom 
he  was  always  urging  his  pupils,  were  Cato,  Plautus.  Ennius, 
Lucretius,  and  Sallust.  Of  these,  the  first  four  belong  to  the 
archaic  period  of  Latin  literature,  while  Sallust's  style  is 
marked  by  frequent  imitation  of  the  older  writers. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  it  is  not  strange  that  Gellius 
exhibits  an  especial  fondness  for  all  that  is  archaic  in  litera- 
ture. No  doubt  he  received  his  first  impulse  in  this  direc- 
tion from  Apollinaris.  This  impulse  was  strengthened,  we 
may  be  sure,  by  his  intercourse  with  Fronto ;  for  he  tells  us 
(xix.  8.  1)  that,  as  often  as  he  heard  Fronto  converse,  he 
came  away  cultior  doctiorque.  (See  also  §  12.) 


AULUS   GELLIUS:    HIS   LIFE   AND   STUDIES  9 

5.  Studies  in  Philosophy  ;  Favorinus.  —  To  these  studies 
in  grammar  and  rhetoric  he  devoted  several  years,  at  the 
close   of  which  he  was   chosen   as   judge   in  private  (i.e- 
civil)   cases  —  an  office  to  which,  in  general,  no   one  was 
eligible  unless  he  had  attained  the  age  of  twenty-five  years. 
By  this  time  he  had  become  acquainted  with  Favorinus,  the 
distinguished  skeptical  philosopher.     Born  at  Arelas  (now 
Aries)  in  Gaul,  Favorinus  wrote  extensively,  in  Greek,  on 
rhetorical  and  philosophical  subjects.      Gellius  repeatedly 
mentions  him,  and  in  one  passage  (xvi.  3.  1)  he  says :  Cum 
Favorino  Romae  dies  plerumque  totos  eramus  tenebatque  ani- 
mos  nostros  homo  ille  fandi  dulcissimus  atque  eum,  quoquo 
iret,  quasi  ex  lingua  prorsum  ems  apti  prosequebamur.     A. 
good  illustration  of  the  esteem  in  which  Gellius  held  Favo- 
rinus is  afforded  by  the  fact  that,  when  he  was  appointed 
judge,  he  consulted  him  as  to  a  matter  which  had  come 
before  him  for  decision.     I  am  inclined  to  think  that  such 
study  as  our  author  made  of  philosophy,  as  well  as  his  visit 
to  Athens,  was  due  to  the  influence  of  Favorinus. 

6.  Visit  to  Athens. — While  at  Athens  (see  §  2),  he  stud- 
ied   under    Calvisius    Taurus,  who  was   especially  distin- 
guished for  his   knowledge   of  Plato's   writings,  and  had 
published  Commentaries  on  the  Gorgias  of  Plato,  besides 
a  treatise  setting  forth  the  difference  between  the  doctrines 
of  Plato  and  those  of  Aristotle.     He  frequently  listened, 
also,  to  the  discourses  of  Peregrinus  Proteus  (§  2)  and  of 
Tiberius  Claudius  Herodes  Atticus.     The  latter  was  famous 
alike   for  his   extraordinary  powers  as  an  orator  and  the 
liberality  with  which  he  erected  public  buildings  for  the 
convenience  of  his  fellow-citizens  at  Athens.     It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  suppose  that  Gellius  spent  more  than  a  single  year 
in  Greece.     To  this   period  he   makes  several   interesting 
references.     These  include  mention  of  a  boating  trip  from 
Athens  to  Aegina  (ii.  21.  1),  of  the  monthly  gatherings  of 


10  INTRODUCTION 

students  (xv.  2.  3),  and  of  the  celebration  of  the  Saturnalia, 
the  great  festival  of  Saturn,  which  fell  in  December  (xviii.  2 ; 
xviii.  13).  He  visited  Delphi  (xii.  5.  1),  Eleusis  (viii.  10), 
and  Patrae,  a  town  in  the  Peloponnesus,  which  at  this  time 
seems  to  have  possessed  a  library  of  some  importance  (xviii. 
9.  5).  It  was  during  his  stay  in  Attica,  also,  that  he  began 
to  collect,  or  at  any  rate  to  arrange,  the  excerpts  which  he 
subsequently  incorporated  into  his  published  work  (§  8). 

7.  Later  Life.  —  Of  his  career  at  Eome,  after  his  return 
from  Athens,  we  know  but  little.      Several  passages  (e.g. 
xi.  3.  1)  suffice  to  show  that  he  was  engaged  in  active  life, 
probably  as  a  lawyer.     We  have  absolutely  no  data  by  which 
to  fix  the  date  of  his  death.     There  can  be  no  doubt,  how- 
ever, that  his  studies  continued  to  his  last  years,  and  that  he 
numbered  among  his  friends  a  large  circle  of  cultured  men. 

II.    THE  NOCTES  ATTICAE 

8.  Title  and  Purpose.  —  The  sole  work  by  which  Gellius 
is  known  is  entitled  Nodes  Atticae.     This  title  was  chosen 
because  the  composition  of  the  work  was  begun  during  his 
stay  at  Athens  (cf.  page  16,  line  5),  as  a  means  of  whiling 
away  the  long  winter  evenings.     Gellius  rather  prides  him- 
self on  the  simplicity  of  this  title ;  for  says  he,  "  I  have  in 
nowise  imitated  the  fancy  titles  which  many  writers,  both 
Greek  and  Koman,  have  given  to  works  of  this  class."     As 
specimens  of  such  high-flown  designations,  he  cites  M"*<i<', 
Silvae,  Minerva's  Robe,  The  Horn  of  Amalthea  or  Cornu 
Copiae,    Honey-Combs,    Meadows,   Flowerets,    Lights,   and 
Crazy  Quilts.     He  tells  us,  also  (page  15,  line  1),  that  one 
object,  at  least,  which  he  kept  before  him  in  the  compilation 
of  the  work,  was  to  afford  recreation  to  his  children.     So 
Cicero  wrote  his  De  Officiis  for  the  benefit  of  his  son  Marcus, 
and  Macrobius  compiled  his  Saturnalia  (written  about  400 


THE   XOCTES   ATTICAE  11 

A.D.,  and  largely  borrowed  from  Gellius)  as  a  contribution  to 
the  education  of  his  son  Eustathius.  A  further  purpose 
was  to  stimulate  men  to  a  desire  for  a  liberal  education,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  to  furnish  a  sort  of  short-cut  by  which 
those  whose  attention  was  in  large  measure  claimed  by  other 
pursuits  might  attain  to  a  knowledge  of  those  things  "  with 
which  every  self-respecting  man  ought  to  be  familiar." 
Compare  his  Praefatio,  §  12 ;  also  ix.  4.  5. 

9.  Method  of  Preparation.  —  It  was  our  author's  custom 
(cf.  page  15,  line  6),  as  he  read  a  book,  whether  Greek  or 
Latin,  to  make  extracts  therefrom  and  to  set  these  aside  for 
future  use.     Similarly,  he  was  wont  to  record  whatever  he 
heard  that   seemed  to  possess  especial  value   or  interest. 
These  notes  he  subsequently  published,  without  making  any 
attempt  to  secure  a  systematic  arrangement  of  materials. 
In  effect,  therefore,  the   Noctes  Atticae  is  simply  a  note- 
book into  which  Gellius  concentrated  the  results  of  years 
of  reading  and   study.     His  aim  was  to  produce  a  work 
which  should  be  popular  in  character,  and  so  he  deems  it 
necessary  to  apologize  for  the  presence  of  some  few  speci- 
mens of  recondite  learning  (cf.  his  Praefatio,  §  13).     In  the 
concluding  sections  of  the  preface  (cf.  page  16,  line  11),  he 
states  that  he  has  already  completed  twenty  books  of  these 
notes,  and  promises  that  such  leisure  as  he  may  be  able  to 
command  in  the  future  will  be  devoted  to  further  compila- 
tions of  the  same  sort.     So  far  as  we  know  this  promise  was 
never  fulfilled,  and  it  has  been  conjectured  that  he  died  not 
long  after  the  publication  of  the  extant  books. 

10.  Contents.  —  Of  the  twenty  books  mentioned  in  the  pre- 
ceding section,  nineteen,  containing  in  all  three  hundred  and 
eighty-three  chapters,  have  come  down  practically  entire. 
Of  the   remaining  book,  the  eighth,  nothing  is  preserved 
save  the  table  of  contents  of  the  fifteen  chapters.     There  is 
also  a  general  preface  to  the  whole  work.     So  various  are 


12  INTRODUCTION 

the  contents  that  no  complete  classification  of  them  is  possi- 
ble. Still  the  greater  part  of  the  work  may  be  roughly 
distributed  into  certain  great  divisions.  Matters  of  lexicog- 
raphy claim  over  one  hundred  chapters,  while  questions  of 
etymology  and  grammar  absorb  ten  and  thirty  respectively. 
Fully  sixty  chapters  are  devoted  to  philosophy  in  its  several 
departments  of  metaphysics,  ethics  (theoretical  and  applied), 
and  logic.  Literary  criticism  absorbs  twenty-eight  chapters, 
textual  criticism  twelve,  antiquities  (social,  political,  relig- 
ious) twenty-seven,  history  and  biography  thirty-six,  rhetoric 
nine.  Thus  by  far  the  larger  portion  of  the  Nodes  Atticae 
is  concerned  with  grammar,  literature,  rhetoric,  history,  and 
philosophy.  This  is  precisely  what  we  should  expect  in 
view  of  the  method  (§  9)  according  to  which  the  work  was 
compiled,  since  these  subjects  were  the  main  elements  of  a 
liberal  education  in  Gellius'  day,  and  since,  as  we  have  seen 
above  (§§  3-6),  they  were  the  subjects  which  had  especially 
engaged  his  attention. 

11.  Sources  of  the  Noctes  Atticae.  —  The  sources  of  this 
great  mass  of  miscellaneous  information  are  various,  and 
in  many  cases  are  not  determinable  with  any  degree  of 
exactness.  Fully  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  authors  are 
mentioned  or  directly  quoted,  while  the  number  of  indi- 
vidual works  cited  is  twice  or  thrice  as  large.  The  name  of 
nearly  every  one  of  his  contemporaries  appears  at  least  once. 
It  is  not  to  be  supposed,  however,  that  Gellius  had  himself 
read  every  one  of  the  works  which  he  mentions.  It  is 
extremely  probable  that  he  took  many  things  from  them  at 
second  hand.  For  information  relative  to  scientific  matters, 
i.e.  questions  of  grammar,  criticism,  and  lexicography,  he 
relies  chiefly  upon  M.  Terentius  Varro l  (116-28  B.C.),  "  the 
most  learned  of  the  Romans,"  P.  Nigidius  Figulus  (98-46 

1  For  information  concerning  the  authors  mentioned  here,  see  the 
Index  to  this  volume. 


VALUE   OF   THE   NOCTES   ATTICAE  13 

B.C.),  Gavins  Bassus,  C.  lulius  Hyginus  (64  B.c.-lT  A.D.), 
Verrius  Flaccus,  Pliny  the  Elder  (23-79  A.D.),  and  Sulpicius 
Apollinaris  (§  3).  In  purely  literary  matters'  the  sources 
most  frequently  employed  are  T.  Maccius  Plautus  (254-184 
B.C.),  Q.  Ennius  (239-169  B.C.),  M.  Porcius  Cato  (234-149 
B.C.),  Claudius  Quadrigarius  (about  100  B.C.),  and  Vergil  (70- 
19  B.C.).  Of  the  Greek  writers  whom  Gellius  quotes  most 
frequently,  we  may  mention  Aeschines,  Aeschylus,  Aristotle, 
Aristophanes,  Euripides,  Herodotus,  Homer,  Plato,  Plutarch, 
and  Sophocles.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  for  the  most 
part  the  Latin  writers  mentioned  above  belong  to  a  period 
long  prior  to  Gellius'  own  time.  His  more  immediate 
literary  predecessors  he  seems  to  have  neglected,  for  he 
never  mentions  Tibullus,  Propertius,  Ovid,  Livy,  luvenal, 
Quintilian,  Tacitus,  Pliny  the  Younger,  Martial,  or  Statius, 
and  there  is  but  a  single  reference  to  Horace  in  all  the 
twenty  books. 

III.    VALUE  OF  THE  NOCTES  ATTICAE 

12.  The  Noctes  Atticae  is  a  Representative  Work,  since  it 
not  only  reflects  perfectly  the  nature  of  the  subjects  (§  10) 
which  engaged  the  attention  of  the  literary  men  of  the  second 
century  A.D.,  but  also  forcibly  depicts  the  spirit  in  which  their 
labors  were  prosecuted.  Attention  has  been  called  above 
(§  4)  to  their  fondness  for  the  writers  of  the  archaic  period 
of  Latin  literature.  In  this  regard  our  author  shows  him- 
self a  thorough-going  child  of  his  time.  In  all  matters  relat- 
ing to  grammar,  lexicography,  or  literary  criticism,  Gellius 
constantly  appeals  to  the  antiquiores,  maiores,  and  veteres,  by 
which  terms  he  means  the  writers  chiefly  of  the  ante-classical 

1  Under  this  head  I  include  the  chapters  dealing  with  history  and 
biography,  together  with  the  numerous  anecdotes  scattered  throughout 
the  work  and  the  many  passages  cited  from  Greek  and  Latin  authors,  as 
illustrative  of  some  point  of  grammar  or  criticism. 


14  INTRODUCTION 

period.  Of  these  writers,  those  who  stand  highest  in  his 
estimation  are  Plautus  and  Ennius  among  poets,  Cato  Censor 
among  orators.  In  the  Nodes  Atticae  vi.  17.  4  Plautus  is 
characterized  as  homo  linguae  atque  elegantiae  in  verbis 
Latinae  princeps;  in  xix.  8.  6  he  is  called  the  linguae 
Latinae  decus.  Gellius  cites  him  in  at  least  thirty-five 
places,  and  the  quotations  cover  nearly  the  whole  range  of 
the  extant  plays.  Ennius  is  cited  as  an  authority  in  more 
than  forty  passages,  and  is  repeatedly  mentioned  in  terms 
of  the  highest  approbation.  To  Cato's  authority  Gellius 
makes  appeal  in  over  sixty  places,  a  single  passage  often 
containing  two  or  more  quotations  from  his  works.  In  x.  3. 
§§  15,  16  Gellius  says  that  any  one  who  reads  Cato  aright 
cannot  fail  to  perceive  that  Cato  contentus  eloquentia  aetatis 
suae  non  fuit  et  id  iam  turn  facere  voluit,  quod  Cicero  postea 
perfecit. 

13.  Quotations  from  Early  Latin  Authors.  —  Of  especial 
interest  and  value  are  the  numerous  quotations  from  early 
writers  whose  works  are  no  longer  extant.  For  such  por- 
tions as  yet  remain  of  the  oldest  Latin  literature,  e.g.  the 
works  of  Livius  Andronicus,  Quintus  Ennius,  Cn.  Naevius, 
and  the  early  historians,  we  are  almost  wholly  indebted  to 
quotations  by  various  grammarians.  In  this  connection  the 
obligations  of  Latin  scholarship  to  Gellius  are  far  from 
small.  In  giving  these  quotations  from  the  older  writers, 
he  often  adds  information  concerning  their  careers,  or  their 
works,  and  in  this  way  his  contributions  to  our  knowledge 
of  the  history  of  Latin  literature  are  of  very  great  impor- 
tance. For  example,  practically  all  that  is  known  of  the 
life  of  Plautus,  the  greatest  comic  poet  of  Rome,  is  derived 
from  the  third  chapter  of  the  third  book  of  the  Nodes 
Atticae.  Again,  Gellius  is  an  important,  in  some  instances 
the  sole,  source  of  information  concerning  those  of  his  con- 
temporaries who  devoted  themselves  to  literary  pursuits. 


A.    GELLII  NOCTJUM   ATTICARUM 
PRAEFATIO 

***  iucundiora1  alia  reperiri  queunt,2  ad  hoc  ut3  llbe- 
ris  quoque  rneis  partae 4  istiusmodi 5  remissiones 6  essent, 
quando7  animus  eorum  interstitione 8  aliqua  negotiorum 
data  laxarl  indulgerlque  potuisset.  Usi  autem  sumus 
ordine  rerum  fortulto,  quern  antea  in  excerpendo  fecera-  5 
mus.  Nam  proinde  ut9  librum  quern que  in  mantis  cepe- 
ram  seu  Graecum  seu  Latmum  vel  quid  memoratu  dignum 
audieram,  ita  quae  libitum  erat,10  cuius11  generis  cumque11 
erant,  indlstincte  atque  promisee 12  annotabam  eaque  mihi 
ad  subsidium  memoriae13  quasi  quoddam14  lltterarum  10 
penus  recondebam,  ut,  quando7  usus  venisset  aut  rel  aut 
verbi,  cuius  me  repens  forte  oblivio  tenuisset,  et  libri,  ex 
quibus  ea  sumpseram,  non  adessent,  facile  inde  nobis 
inventu  atque  depromptu  foret.15 


1  From  p.  16, 1.  5  (see  notes)  it  is 
evident  that  some  words,  perhaps 
sentences,  have  been  lost  before 
iucundiora.  2  queo  =  possum  is 
common  in  Gellius.  8  ad  hoc  ut  = 
'  to  the  end  that.'  4  from  pario, 
parere.  6  '  of  the  soft  you  have 
before  you.'  Gellius  often  uses 
huiusmodi,  huiuscemodi,  eiusmodi, 
eiuscemodi,  istiusmodi  as  genitives 
of  quality.  6  '  recreation.'  Cf.  reniis- 
sus,  and  the  opposites  intentio,  in- 
tentus.  The  metaphor  is  from  the 
stringing  or  unstringing  of  a  bow. 
Cf.  Cicero,  De  Senectute  §  37 :  inten- 


tum  animum  tamquam  arcnm  habe- 
bat.  7  '  whenever.'  8  '  respite,  vaca- 
tion.' 9  proinde  ut  =  '  according  as.' 
10  Sc.  annotare.  ll  tmesis.  12  in- 
distincte  atque  promisee :  '  without 
any  attempt  at  orderly  arrange- 
ment, and  in  fact  (atque)  quite  at 
random.'  13  ad  subsidium  memo- 
riae =  ut  subsidio  memoriae  essent. 
14  quasi  and  quidam  are  often  used, 
either  separately  or  combined,  to 
soften  a  metaphor.  The  word  so 
qualified  here  is  penus  =  '  a  store  of 
provisions,'  '  storehouse.'  15  =  esset, 
as  often  in  Gellius. 


15 


16 


AULUS  GELLIUS 


Facta  igitur  est  in  his  quoque  commentarils l  eadem 
rerum  disparilitas,2  quae  fuit  in  illls  annotationibus  prl- 
stinis,  quas  breviter  et  indigeste  et  incondite 3  ex 4  erudi- 
tionibus 5  lectionibusque  variis  feceramus.  Sed  quoniam 

5  longinquis  per  hiemem6  noctibus  in  agro,  sicuti  dixl,7 
terrae  Atticae  commentationes *  hasce  ludere  ac  f acere 8 
exorsi  sumus,  idcirco  eas  inscrlpsimus  Noctium  esse 
Atticarum,9  nihil  imitati  festivitates 10  mscriptionuin, 
quas  plerique  alii  utiiusque u  linguae  scriptores  in  id 

10  genus  librls  fecerunt. 

Volumina  commentarioruin  ad  hunc  diem  viginti 12 
iam  facta  stint.  Quantum  autem  vitae  mihi  deinceps13 
deum  voluntate  erit  quantum que  a  tuenda  re  familiar! 
procurandoque  cultu  u  liberorum  meorum  dabitur  otium, 

15  ea  omnia  subsiciva  et  subsecundaria 15  tempora  ad  colli- 
gendas  huiuscemodi  memoriarum  delectatiunculas 16  con- 
feram.  Progredietur  ergo  numerus  librorum  diis  bene 
iuvantibus I7  cum  ipslus  vitae  quantuli  qulque  fuerint 


1  '  papers,  essays.'  Cf.  1.  11,  and 
Caesar's  Commentarii  De  Bello  Gal- 
lico  and  De  Bello  Civili.  2  '  variety.' 
8  indigeste  et  incondite  =  indis- 
tincte  atque  promisee  p.  15. 1. 9.  Gel- 
lius  is  extremely  fond  of  such  pairs  of 
synonymous  words.  4  '  as  a  result 
of.'  e  '  courses  of  training.'  The  use 
of  abstract  nouns  in  the  plural  is  a 
marked  feature  of  Gellius'  style. 
6  per  hiemem  is  practically  an  adjec- 
tive wit  li  noctibus.  7  There  is  nothing 
in  the  Xoctes  Atticae  to  correspond 
to  these  words.  Cf.  p.  15,  n.  1. 
8  ludere  5,c  facere  =  '  to  compose  by 
way  of  diversion.'  9  eas  .  .  .  Atti- 
carum  =  eas  Noctium  Atticarum 
(Co  in)  naitationes)  esse  inscripsi- 
mus.  The  construction  is  needlessly 
complicated  by  the  introduction  of 
esse,  which  depends  loosely  on  in- 


scripsimus.  ln  Cf .  Introduction,  §  8. 
11  '  both  tongues,'  i.e.  Greek  and 
Latin.  12  See  Introduction,  §  9. 
is  =  posthac.  14  '  education.'  15  For 
the  synonyms,  cf.  n.  3.  subsici- 
vus  is  a  technical  term  of  sur- 
veying, applied  to  a  patch  of 
ground  left  over,  when  lands  are 
distributed  to  colonists.  Subsiciva 
tempora  =  '  odd  times,  spare  hours.' 
subsecundaria  tempora  =  '  times  of 
second-rate  importance,'  i.e.  one's 
leisure  hours,  as  being  of  less  im- 
portance than  those  devoted  to  the 
main  business  of  life.  16  memori- 
arum delectatiunculas  =  memorias 
delectabilis.  Cf.  festivitates  in- 
scriptionum,  1.  8.  17  =  si  di  bene 
iuverint,  a  pious  formula,  used 
here  to  soften  the  assertion  in  pro- 
gredietur. 


NOCTES  ATTICAE,  I.  G  17 

progressibus 1  neque  longiora  mihi  dari  spatia  Vivendi 
volo  quam  dum  ero  ad  hanc  quoque  facultatem  scribendl 
commentandlque 2  idoueus. 

I.  6 

Verba  ex  oratione  Metelll  NumidicI,3  quam  dixit  in  censura  ad4  po- 
pulura,  cum  eum  ad  uxores  ducendas  adhortaretur ;  eaque  oratio     5 
quam  ob  causam  reprehensa  et  quo  contra  modo  defensa  sit.5 

Multis  et  eruditls  viris  audientibus  legebatur  oratio 
Metelli  Xumidici,  gravis  ac  diserti  viri,  quam  in  censura 
dixit  ad  populum  de  ducendls  uxoribus,  cum  eum  ad 
matrimonia  capessenda6  hortaretur.  In  ea  oratione  ita  10 
scriptum  fuit :  "  Si  sine  uxore  vivere  possemus,  Quirltes,7 
omni  ea  molestia  careremus;  set  quoniam  ita  natura 
tradidit,  ut  nee  cum  illis  satis  commode,8  nee  sine  illis 
tillo  modo  vivl  possit,  saluti  perpetuae  potius  quam  brevi 
voluptatl  consulendum  est."  15 

Videbatur  quibusdam,  Q.  Metellum  censorem,  cui  con- 
silium9  esset  ad  uxores  ducendas  populum  hortari,  non 
oportuisse  de  molestia  incommodisque  perpetuls  rei 
uxoriae10  confiteri,  neque  id11  hortari  magis  esse  quam 


1  cum  .  .  .  vitae  .  .  .  progressi- 
bus: 'with  my  advancing  years.' 
2  'studying.'  Cf.  p.  16,  n.  3. 

3  Q.  Caecilius  Metellus,  surnamed 
Numidicus  because  of  the  energy 
with  which  he  prosecuted  the  war 
against  Jugurtha  till  superseded  by 
Marias  in  107  B.C.  He  was  censor 
in  102.  4  Cf .  aput,  p.  18, 1. 18.  5  The 
subjunctive  often  stands  in  the  titles 
of  the  various  chapters,  and  is  to 
be  explained  by  the  fact  that  there 
is  an  ellipsis  of  some  word  like 
quaeritur  or  exponitur.  6  '  under- 


in  an  address  to  the  Roman  people 
when  assembled  as  citizens.  Sueto- 
nius relates  that  Julius  Caesar  once 
quelled  a  mutiny  of  his  soldiers  by 
addressing  them  as  Quirites  instead 
of  milites.  8  '  in  peace  and  com- 
fort.' 9  cui  .  .  .  esset:  '  since  it  was 
his  design.'  10  rei  uxoriae  =  mati-i- 
monii.  Cf.  the  common  res  mili- 
taris,  res  familiaris.  Gellius  uses 
also  res  iudiciaria,  and  res  cibaria. 
11  id  refers  back  to  confiteri.  Trans- 
late '  and  that  such  a  course  was 
more  likely  to  dissuade  them  than 


taking,  essaying.'     7  The  term  used    to  persuade.' 

AUL.    GEL.  2 


18  AULUS   GELLIUS 

dissuadere  absterrereque ;  set  contra  in  id  potius  ora- 
tionem  debuisse  suml1  dicebant,  ut  et  nullas  plerumque 
esse  in  matrimoniis  molestias  adseveraret  et,  si  quae 
tamen  accidere  nonnumquam  viderentur,  parvas  et  leves 

5  facilesque  esse  toleratu  diceret  maioribusque  eas  emolu- 
mentis2  et  voluptatibus  oblitterari3  easdemque  ipsas 
neque  omnibus  neque  naturae  vitio,  set  quoruiidam4  inaii- 
torum  culpa  et  iniustitia  evenire.  Titus  autem  Cas- 
tricius5  recte  atque  condigne  Metellum  esse  lociitum 

10  exlstimabat.  "  A  liter  "  inquit  "  censor  loqui  debet,  aliter 
rhetor.  Rhetorl  concessum  est  sententiis  uti  falsls,  auda- 
cibus,  versutis,6  subdolis,7  captiosls,8  si  veri  modo  similes 9 
sint  et  possint  movendos 10  hominum  animos  qualicumque 
astu u  inrepere." 12  Praeterea  turpe  esse  ait  rhetori,  si 

15  quid  in  mala  causa  destitutum  atque  iinpropugnatum 13 
relinquat.  "  Sed  enim  Metellum,"  inquit  "  sanctum  virum, 
ilia  gravitate  et  fide  praeditum  cum  tanta  honorum 14 
atque  vitae  dignitate  aput  populum  Romanum  loquen- 
tem,  nihil  decuit  aliud  dlcere  quam  quod  verum  esse  sibi 

20  atque  omnibus  videbatur,  praesertim  cum  super u  ea  re 
diceret,  quae  cotidiana  intellegentia  et  communi  pervolga- 
toque  vitae  usfi16  comprenderetur.  De  molestia  igitur 
cunctis  hominibus  notissima  confessus  eaque  confessione 
fidem  sedulitatis  veritatisque  commeritus,17  turn  denique 


1  sumere  in  =  '  to  expend,'  i.e. 
to  devote,  direct.  2  'advantages.' 
3  '  offset,  balanced.'  4  quorundam  is 
antithetical  to  omnibus,  culpa  et 


the  synonyms,  see  p.  16,  n.  3. 
14  'official  positions.'  So  Juvenal 
calls  the  consul  snmmus  honor. 
Compare  also  the  English  "  Your 


iniustitia  to  vitio.  The  ablatives  Honor."  15  super  =  de  (cf.  espe- 
are  causal.  5  Introduction  §  4.  cially  the  title  of  i.  19)  is  found 
6 '  subtle.' " 'cunningly devised.1 8 'so- 1  over  one  hundred  times  in  Gellius. 
phistical,  fallacious.'  9  veri  similes  10  vitae  usu  «=  '  experience.'  17  fidem 


=  '  plausible.'  10  movendos  ex- 
presses purpose  and  =  ut  eos  move- 
ant.  "  astu  =  '  craft '  (cf.  astutia) 
is  a  favorite  word  with  Gellius. 
i- 'steal  int/-.'  13  '  undefended.'  P'or 


.  .  .  commeritus:  'having  gained 
the  credit  of  being  a  sincere  and 
truthful  man.'  A  sednlus  homo  is 
one  who  acts  with  honest  motives 
and  with  business-like  energy. 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  I.   10 


19 


facile  et  procliviter,1  quod 2  f uit  rerum  omnium  validissi- 
inum  atque  verissimum,  persuasit  civitatem  salvain  esse 
sine  matrimoniormn  frequentia3  non  posse." 


I.  10 

Quibus  verbls  compellaverit  *  Favorinus5  philosophus  adulesceutem 

casce  nimis  et  prisce  6  loquentem.  5 

Favorinus  philosophus  adulescent!  veterum  verborum 
cupidissimo  et  plerasque  voces  nimis  prlscas  et  Ignotas 
in  cotidianis  communibusque  sermonibus  expromentl 
"  Curius  " 7  inquit  "  et  Fabricius 8  et  Coruncanius, 9  anti- 
quissimi  viri,  et  his  antiquiores  Horatil 10  ill!  trigeminl  10 
plane  ac  dilucide  u  cum  suis  fabulatl  sunt  neque  Aurunco- 
rum  aut  Sicanorurn  aut  Pelasgorum,  qui  priml  coluisse 
Italiam  dicuntur,  sed  aetatis  suae  verbls  locuti  sunt ;  tu 
autem,  proinde  quasi  cum  matre  Euandri K  nunc  loquare, 
sermone  abhinc  multls  annis  iam  desito13  uteris,  quod  15 
scire  atque  intellegere  neminem  vis  quae  dicas.  Nonne,14 


1  proclivis  is  properly  used  of  a 
road  that  is  '  sloping,  downhill,'  and 
so  'easy.'  Hence  it  comes  to  = 
'  easy '  in  general.  2  The  antecedent 
of  quod  is  the  clause  persuasit  .  .  . 
non  posse.  3  =  multitiidine. 

4  =  culpaverit.  5  See  Introduc- 
tion §  5.  e  casce  .  .  .  prisce :  '  in 
language  too  old-fashioned  and 
archaic.'  "  M'.  Curius  Dentatus 
brought  the  Third  Sainnite  War  to 
a  close  in  290  B.C.,  and  defeated 
Fyrrhus  at  Beneveiitum  in  275.  8  C. 
Fabricius  Luscinus,  consul  in  282 
r..c.,  278  (when  he  held  command 
against  Pyrrhus),and  in  273.  See 
below,  pages  22-24.  9  Ti.  Corunca- 
nius, who  crushed  an  insurrection  of 
the  Etruscans  in  280  B.C.,  and  in  252 
became  the  first  plebeian  Pontifex 


Maximus.  These  three  men  are 
often  mentioned  together  by  Cicero 
as  typical  Romans  of  the  good  old 
days.  10  The  three  brothers  who,  in 
the  reign  of  Tullus  Hostilius  fought 
against  the  Curiatii,  three  brothers 
from  Alba  Longa,  to  determine 
whether  Rome  or  Alba  should  be 
supreme.  n  '  intelligibly.'  In  the 
same  sense  Gellius  elsewhere  em- 
ploys lucitlente ,'  so  lux  is  used  of 
style,  p.  29, 1. 17.  12  Tradition  says 
that  Evander  came  from  Arcadia  in 
Greece,  and  founded  a  city,  called 
Pallanteum,  on  the  site  afterwards 
occupied  by  Rome.  His  mother's 
name  was  said  to  be  Carmentis  or 
Carmenta.  ^  'obsolete.'  14  Nonne 
.  .  .  taces  ?  '  Why  not  keep  si- 
lent ? ' 


20  AULUS   GELLIUS 

homo  inepte,  ut  quod  vis  abunde  consequaris,  taces  ?  Sed 
antiquitatem  tibi  placere  ais,  quod  honesta  et  bona  et 
sobria  et  modesta  sit.  Vive  ergo  moribus l  praeteritis, 
loquere  verbis  praesentibus  atque  id,  quod  a  C.  Caesare, 
5  excellentis  ingenii  ac  prudentiae  viro,  in  primo  De  Anar 
logia 2  libro  scriptum  est,  habe  semper  in  memoria  atque 
in  pectore,  ut  tamquam  scopulum,  sic  fugias  inauditum 
atque  Insolens  verbum." 

XI.  7 

VerbTs  antlquissimis  relietisque  iam  et  desitis  minime  iitendum.8 

10  Verbis  uti  aut  nimis  obsoletis  exculcatisque 4  aut  inso- 
lentibus 5  novitatisque  durae 6  et  inlepidae 7  par  esse  delic- 
tum 8  videtur.9  Sed  molestius  equidem  culpatiusque  esse 
arbitror  verba  nova,  incognita,  inaudita  dicere  quam  in- 
volgata 10  et  sordentia.11  Nova  autem  videri  dico  etiam  ea, 

15  quae  sunt  inusitata  et  desita,  etsi  sunt  vetusta.  Est  adeo 
id  vitium  plerumque 12  serae  eruditionis,  quam  Grace! 
"  o\l/Lp.a.Biav "  appellant,  ut  quod  numquam  didiceris,  diu 
ignoraveris,  cum  id  sclre  aliquando  coeperis,  magni  fa- 


1  moribus  is  an  ablative  of  man- 
ner, while  verbis  is  an  instrumental 
ablative.  '  Live  according  to  the 
manners  of  the  past,  talk  in  the  lan- 
guage of  to-day.'  (There  is  a  triple 
contrast,  vive  being  opposed  to 


8  Sc.  esss.  The  infinitive  de- 
pends on  some  phrase  to  be  supplied, 
e.g.  in  hoc  capitulo  demonstratur. 
Cf.  p.  17,  n.  5.  4  'kicked  out,'  i.e. 
words  whose  life  has  been  trodden 
out,  obsolete.  Compare  '  trite,' 


loquere.  moribus  to  verbis,  and  f rom  Latin  tritus.  5<  unusual.'  G  no- 
praeteritis  to  praesentibus.)  2  A  vitatis  durae,  as  a  genitive  of 
grammatical  treatise  in  two  books,  quality,  has  adjectival  value,  and  so 
written  by  Caesar  while  crossing  the  can  be  joined  by  que  to  insolent l- 
Alps  from  Gaul  into  Italy.  Compare  bnx.  ~  'uncouth.'  Contrast  lepidi 
Gellius  xix.  8.  3  C.  Caesar,  vir  ser-  [  atque  festivi  mendacii,  p.  30, 1.  13. 
m<>n!s  praeter  altos  suae  aetatis  8  '  failing.'  9  Sc.  omnibus:  '  is  gen- 
rnxHxxiiHi,  in  libris  quos  ad  M.  C'ice-  \  erally accounted.'  10  'common-place.' 
roiifiin  De  Analoyiti  conscripsit  (i.e.  ll  'vulgar,  plebeian.'  12  'in  gen- 
they  were  dedicated  to  Cicero).  ,  eral.' 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  XI.  7 


21 


cias1  quo2  in  loco  cumque2  et  quacumque  in  re3  dicere. 
Veluti4  Romae,  nobis  praesentibus,  vetus  celebratusque 
homo  in  causis,5  sed  repentina6  et  quasi  tumultuaria 7 
doctrina  praeditus,  cum  apud  praefectum  urbi8  verba  face- 
ret  et  dicere  vellet,  inopi  quendam  miseroque  victu9  5 
vlvere  et  furf ureum 10  panem  esitare,11  vmumque  eructum  u 
et  f  etidum  potare,  "  Hie  "  inquit  "  eques  Homanus  aplu- 
dam 13  edit  et  fleeces w  bibit."  Aspexerunt  omnes,  qui 
aderant,  alius  alium,  primo  tristiores  turbato  et  requi- 
rente  voltu,  quidnam  "  illud  utriusque  verb!  f oret ;  post  10 
deinde,  quasi  nescio  quid  Tusce  aut  Gallice  dixisset, 
universi  riserunt.  Legerat  autem  ille  apliidam  veteres 
rfisticos u  f rumenti  furfurein  dlxisse  idque  a  Plauto  in 
comoedia,  si  ea  Plauti  est,16  quae  Astraba l7  mscrlpta  est, 
positum  esse.  Item  fiocces  audierat  prlsca  voce  slgnifi-  15 
care  vlni  faecem 18  e  vmacels 19  expressam,  sicutl  fraces  ^ 
oleis,  idque  aput21  Caecilium  in  Poliimems22  legerat,  eaque 
sibi  duo  verba  ad  orationum  ornamenta23  servaverat. 


1  magm  facias :  '  you  make  it  a 
gre'it  point.'  2  tmesis.  8<  occasion.' 
4  Veluti  (=  'so  for  example')  often 
introduces  a  specific  illustration  of  a 
general  statement.  5  celebratus 
.  .  .  causis :  '  a  distinguished  law- 
yer.' 6  '  gained  in  haste.'  '  '  hap-haz- 
ard.'  For  quasi  cf.  p.  15,  n.  14. 

8  L'rbis  also  occurs  in  this  sense  with 
praefectus,  which  is  then  a  noun. 
When    urbi  is   written,   praefectus 
retains  its  participial  value,  and  the 
dative  is  due  to    the    prefix  prae. 

9  victus  properly  =  the  food  neces- 
sary to  one's  support ;  then,  as  here, 
the  '  style '  in  which  one  lives.  10  fur- 
fureum  panem :  coarse  bread  made 
of  furfur,'  bran.'    u  frequentative 
of  edere.    12  '  villainous' ;    properly 
participle    of  erugo,  '  to  belch  up.' 
13  These  words  are  explained  11. 12, 15. 


14  quidnam  .  .  .  foret  =  '  what  the 
two  words  meant.'  Since  Quid  illud 
verbi  est  =  '  what  does  that  (one) 
word  mean  ? '  it  is  natural  to  join 
vterque  to  verbi  when  one  comes  to 
ask  about  two  words.  15  '  farmers.' 
16  si ...  est:  'if  it  really  is  by  P.' 
In  iii.  3  Gellius  tells  us  that  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty  plays  ascribed 
to  P.  only  twenty-one  were  regarded 
by  Varro  as  genuine.  1?  '  Wooden 
Saddle.'  18  '  dregs.'  19  '  grape-skins.' 
20  '  dregs  of  olive  oil.'  oleis  here  =  ex 
oleis  expressas.  21  '  in  the  works 
of.'  Statins  Caecilius,  the  comic 
poet,  flourished  about  180  B.C.  Of 
his  plays  only  three  hundred  lines 
have  survived.  ^  From  a  nomina- 
tive Polumeni,  a  title  of  uncertain 
meaning.  ^  ad  ...  ornamenta  =  ut 
orationes  ornuret.  Cf.  p.  15,  n.  13. 


22 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


I.   14 

Quid  dixerit  feceritque  C.  Fabricius,1  magna  vir  gl6ria  magmsque 
rebus  2  gestis,  sed  familiae8  pecuniaeqne  inops,  cum  el  Sanmites 
tamquam  4  indigent!  grave  aurum  5  donarent. 

lulius  Hyginus6  in  libro  De  Vita  Rebusque  Inliistrixm 
5  Virorumr  sexto  legates  dicit  a  Samnltibus  ad  C.  Fabri- 
cium,  imperatorem  populi  Roman!,  venisse  et  memoratis 
multls  magnlsque  rebus,  quae  bene  ac  benivole  post  red- 
.  ditani  pacem  Sammtibus  f ecisset,  obtulisse  dono  grandem 
pecuniam  orasseque,  uti  acciperet  utereturque,  atque  id 
10  facere  Saranltes  dlxisse,  quod  viderent  raulta  ad  splendo- 
rem  domus  atque  victus  defierl 8  neque  pro  amplitudine 
dignitateque  lautum9  paratum10  esse.  Turn  Fabricium 
planas11  manus  ab  auribus  ad  oculos  et  infra  deinceps  ad 
nares  et  ad  6s  et  ad  gulam  atque  inde  porro  ad  ventrem 
15  imum  deduxisse  et  legatis  ita  respondisse:  dum  illls 
omnibus  membris,  quae  attigisset,  obsistere  atque  impe- 
rare  posset,  numquam  quicquam  def uturum  ;  propterea I2 
se  pecuniam,  qua18  nihil  sibi  esset  usus,  ab  his,  quibus 
earn  sciret  usui  esse,  non  aceipere. 


i  See  p.  19,  n.  8.  2  'exploits.' 
s  familiae  is  mor-e  comprehensive 
than  pecuniae  and  =  property  in 
general.  4  tamquam  is  used  here, 
as  often  in  post-classical  Latin,  to 
mark  a  conception  as  entertained, 
not  by  the  author  himself,  but  by 
some  one  else  whose  words  or  actions 
he  is  reporting.  Translate  'think- 
insf  him  to  be  in  need.'  5  grave 
aurum  seems  to  =  'a  large  present 
of  gold.'  6  C.  lulius  Hyginus  ((57 
B.C.-14  A.D.),  a  Spaniard  by  birth, 
was  a  freedman  of  Augustus,  and 
by  him  appointed  curator  of  the 
library  which  he  had  built  in  con- 
nection with  the  temple  of  Apollo 


on  the  Palatine.  Hyginus'  Com- 
mentaries on  Vergil  are  often  men- 
tioned by  Gellius.  He  wrote  also 
on  agriculture,  astronomy,  and  bee- 
culture.  7  This  work  probably  re- 
sembled the  De  ViriR  Inluxtrilinx  of 
Cornelius  Nepos.  8  ad  ...  defter! : 
compare  Caesar  De  Bello  Galileo 
iv.  26  Hoc  unum  ad  pristinam 
fortunam  Caesari  defuit.  9  par- 
ticiple of  lavere,  '  to  wash ' ;  then 
=  '  fine,  splendid.'  Phrases  like 
lauta  supellex,  lautissima  cena  are 
common.  10  =  apparatum,  '  estab- 
lishment.' n 'his palms.'  l'2  =  quam 
ob  rem.  1S  Join  with  usus,  which  = 
'  need.' 


NOCTES  ATTICAE,  III.  '8  23 

III.  8 

Litterae  eximiae  consu/um  C.  Fabricil  et  Q.  Aemilii *  ad  regem  Pyr- 
rum  2  a  Q.  Claudio  3  scriptore  historiarum  in  memoriam  datae.4 

Cum  Pyrrus  rex  in  terra  Italia  esset  et  unam  atque 
alteram  pugnas5  prospere  pugnasset  satisque  agerent6 
Roman!  et  pleraque  Italia7  ad  regem  desdvisset,  turn  5 
Ambraciensis 8  quispiam  Tlmochares,  regis  Pyrri  amicus, 
ad  C.  Fabricium  consulem  furtim  venit  ac  praemium 
petivit  et,  si  de  praeniio  conveniret,9  promisit  regem 
venems  necare,  idque  facile  esse  factu  dlxit,  quoniam 
filius  suus  pocula  in  convlvio  regi  ministraret.  Earn  10 
rem  Fabricius  ad  senatum  scrlpsit.  Senatus  ad  regem 
legates  misit  mandavitque,  ut  de  Timochare  nihil  pro- 
derent,  sed  monerent,  uti  rex  circumspectius  ageret  atque 
a  proximorum  msidiis  salutem  tutaretur.  Hoc  ita,  uti 
diximus,  in  Valeri  Antiatis 10  historia  scrlptum  est.  Qua-  15 
drigarius  autem  in  libro  tertio  non  Timocharem,  sed 
Niciam  adisse  ad  consulem  scrlpsit,  neque11  legates  a 
senatu  missos,  sed  a  consulibus,  et  Pyrrum  populo 
Romano  laudes12  atque  gratias  scripsisse  captivosque 
omnes,  quos  turn  habuit,  vestlvisse  et  reddidisse.  20 

1  Q.  Aemilius  Papus,  consul  with  j  greater  part  of  Italy.'  So  p.  25, 1. 16 
Fabrk-ius  in  '278 B.C.  2  Pyrrhus,  king  |  in  pleraque  historia  =  '  in  most  kis- 
of  Epirus,  allied  himself  with  the  torical  narratives.'  8  A  man  from 
Tarentines  and  fought  against  Rome  Ambracia,  a  town  in  Epirus.  9  BI 
280-274  B.C.  3  Q.  Claudius  Quadriga-  .  .  .  conveniret  =  '  if  a  bargain  were 
rius  wrote,  in  the  first  century  B.C.,  j  struck.'  10  An  historian  of  the  first 
a  work  called  Annales.  This  work  i  century  B.C.,  notorious  for  his  exag- 
traced  the  history  of  Rome  after  the  !  gerations.  n  neque  here,  as  often, 
sack  of  the  city  by  the  Gauls  in  388  =  et  HO??.  This  non  is  to  be  joined  to 
B.C.  4  =  memoriae  traditae.  5  The  £  senatu:  'sent,  not  by  the  senate, 
battles  of  Heraclea  280,  and  Ascu-  |  but  by  the  consuls.'  12  laudes  .  .  . 
lum  ^79.  6  satis  agerent  =  '  were  scripsisse  is  a  phrase  formed  on  the 
doing  enough,'  because  they  had  analogy  of  gratias  aaere.  Translate 
enough  to  do.  Translate  '  had  their  :  '  wrote  a  letter  in  which  he  praised 
hands  full.'  '  pleraque  Italia  =' the  !  and  thanked  the  Romans.' 


AULUS  GELLIUS 


Consules  turn   fuerunt  C.  Fabricius  et   Q.   Aemilius. 
Lltteras,  quas  ad  regem  Pyrruni  super  ea  causa  miserunt, 
Claudius  Quadrigarius  scrlpsit  f uisse  hoc  exemplo :  l 
"  Consules   Roman!   salutem 2  dlcunt  Pyrro  regl. 

5  Nos  pro  tins  iniuriis  coiitinuis  animo3  tenus  commoti 
inimiciter  tecum  bellare  studemus.  Sed  communis  exempli 
et  fidei  ergo4  visum,5  ut  te  salvum  velimus,  ut  esset, 
quern  armis  vincere  possemus.  Ad  nos  venit  Nicias 
fainiliaris  tuns,  qui  sibi  praemium  a  nobls  peteret,  si  te 

10  clam  interfecisset.6  Id  nos  negavimus  velle,  neve  ob  earn 
rem  quicquam  commodi  exspectaret,7  et  simul  visum  est, 
ut  te  certiorem  faceremus,  ne  quid  eiusmodi,  si  accidisset, 
nostro  consilio  clvitates  putarent  factum,  et  quod  nobls 
non  placet  pretio  aut  praemid  aut  dolls  pugnare.  Tu, 

15  nisi  caves,  iacebis.8" 


Quid  C.  Fabricius  de  Cornells  Rufino9  homine  avaro  dixerit,  quern, 
cum  odisset  inimlcusque  esset,  desiguandum 10  tanien  coiisulcm 
curavit. 

Fabricius  Luscinus  magna  gloria  vir  magnisque  rebus 
20  gestls11  fuit.     P.  Cornelius  Rufinus  manii 12  quidem 13  stre- 


1  'purport.'  2  sjlutem  dlcunt: 
'  extend  greetings.'  3  animo  tenus 
commoti:  'stirred  to  the  very 
depths  of  our  hearts.'  The  preposi- 
tion tenus  regularly  follows  its 
noun.  4  =  causa.  5  Cf.  visum  est 
below,  1.  11.  6  The  mood  of  in- 
terfecisset  is  due  to  the  oratio 
obliqua.  The  tense  is  due  to  a  prin- 
ciple which,  for  lack  of  a  better 
name,  we  may  call  '  tense-accuracy,' 
and  which  may  be  formulated  as 
follows:  Of  two  past  actions,  the 
prior  is  expressed  by  the  pluperfect 
tense ;  of  two  future  actions,  the 
prior  is  expressed  by  the  future  per- 


fect tense.  This  principle  is  of  wide 
application  in  Latin.  How  does  it 
apply  here  ?  7  The  subjunctive  is 
to  be  explained  as  in  oratio  obliqua. 
The  consuls  said :  Ne  exspecta,  or 
noli  exspectare.  8  literally  '  will  lie 
prostrate,'  i.e.  you  will  be  a  dead 
man. 

9  P.  Cornelius  Rufinus  was  con- 
sul in  290  and  277  B.C.  and  dictator 
in  280.  1°  '  elected.'  "  Cf.  p.  22, 
1.  1.  12'in  personal  prowess.' 
13  Correlative  to  Bed,  p.  2f>,  ,1.  2. 
Since  quidem  marks  a  concession, 
q ii idem  .  .  .  sed  =  quamquain  .  .  . 
tamen. 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  IV.  8 


25 


nuns  et  bellator  bonus  militarisque  disciplmae  peritus 
admodum1  fuit,  sed  furax2  homo  et  avaritia  acrl  erat. 
Hunc  Fabricius  non  probabat  neque  amico  utebatur  osus- 
que 3  eum  morum  causa  fuit.  Sed  cuin  in  temporibus  rei 4 
difficillimis  consules  creandi  forent  et  is  Rufinus  peteret  5 
consulatum  competltoresque  eius  essent  inbelles  quldam 
et  futtiles,5  summa6  ope  adnixus  est  Fabricius,  uti  Rufino 
consulatus  deferretur.  Earn  rem  plerisque  adnilrantibus, 
quod  hominem  avarum,  cm  esset  inimlcissimus,  creari 
consulem  peteret,  "  Malo "  inquit  "  civis  me  compilet,7  10 
quam  hostis  vendat." 

Hunc  Rufinum  postea  bis  consulatu  et  dictatura  filnc- 
tum  censor  Fabricius  senatu  movit8  ob  luxuriae  notam,9 
quod  decem  pondo10  libras  argent!11  fact!  haberet.  Id 
autein,  quod  supra  scrlpsl,  Fabricium  de  Cornelio  Rufino  is 
ita,  uti  in  pleraque  historia12  scrlptum  est,  dixisse,  M. 
Cicero  non  aliis  a  Fabricio,  sed  ipsi  Ruiino,  gratias  agenti, 
quod  ope  eius  deslgnatus  esset,  dictum  esse  refert  in  libro 
secundo  De  Oratore.™ 


1  By  derivation  admodum  =  '  up 
to  the  limit, 'i.e.  'wholly.'  It  is  often 
weakened,  however,  to  'very,  ex- 
ceedingly.' In  this  sense  it  is  com- 
mon in  Gellius.  2  '  thievish.'  3  osus 
fuit  =  odit  is  a  rare  and  archaic 
form.  For  archaism  in  Gellius,  see 
Introduction,  §§  4,  12.  Note  also 
that  que  here,  as  often  after  a  nega- 
tive, is  equivalent  to  the  English 
but  rather  than  and.  4  =  rei  pub- 
licae.  5  '  worthless.'  6  summa  ope  : 
'  with  all  his  might  and  main.' 
"  '  rob.'  Note  that  our  word  '  com- 
pile '  is  derived  from  this  verb. 

8  The  censors,  as  supervisors  of 
the  public  morals,  could  for  cause 
remove  men  from  the  senate.  9  nota 
is  often  used  to  denote  a  mark 
branded  on  a  bad  slave.  Here  it 


signifies  the  condemnatory  mark 
affixed  by  the  censors  to  a  man's 
name,  as  it  stood  in  the  lists  of  citi- 
zens or  of  senators.  The  extent  of 
the  power  wielded  by  the  censors  is 
illustrated  by  the  stories  given  by 
Gellius  in  iv.  20,  iv.  12,  vi.  22,  and 
x.  6.  ob  luxuriae  notam  seems  to 
express  purpose :  '  to  brand  his  ex- 
travagance.' 10  pondo,  'by  actual 
weight,'  is  an  old  ablative  to  pondust 

11  argent!  facti  =  '  wrought  silver,' 
i.e.  silver  plate.    Argentum  by  itself 
often  has  this  meaning.     In  Gellius 
xvii.  21.  39  this  same  incident  is  re- 
ferred to,  and  we  are  told  that  the 
censors  degraded  Rufinus  quod  eum 
comperissent    argenti   facti    cenae 
gratia  decem  pondo  libras  habere. 

12  Cf.  p.  23,  n.  7.    13  in  §  268. 


26 


AULUS  GELLIUS 


I.  17 

Quanta  cum  animl  aequitate  toleraverit  Socrates  uxoris  ingenium  in- 
tractabile;  atque1  inibi,  quid  M.  Varro2  in  quadam  satura3  de 
officio  mariti  scripserit. 

Xanthippe,  Socratis  philosophi  uxor,  morosa  admodum 

5    fuisse  fertur  et  iurgiosa,  irarumque  et  molestiarum  mulie- 

brium  per  diem  perque  noctem  scatebat.4    Has  eius  in- 

temperies 5  in  marltum  Alcibiades  demlratus  interrogavit 

Socraten,  quaenam  ratio  esset,  cur  mulierem  tarn  acerbam 

domo  non  exigeret.     "Quoniam"  inquit  Socrates  "cum 

10  illam    doml  talem   perpetior,   Insuesco   et   exerceor,6  ut 

ceterorum  quoque  forls  petulantiam  et  iniuriam  facilius 

feram." 

Secundum7  hanc  sententiam  quoque  Varro  in  satura 

Menippea,3  quam    de  officio   mariti   scripsit   "Vitium," 

15  inquit,  "uxoris  aut  tollendum8  aut  ferendum  est.      Qui 

tollit  vitiuin,  uxorem  commodiorem 9  praestat,10  qui  fert, 

sese   meliorem   facit."     Haec   verba   Varronis   tollere  et 


1  Atque  inibi  =  '  and  in  that 
(this)  connection,'  i.e.  '  further- 
more,' is  found  some  twenty  times 
in  Gellius  in  the  titles  of  various 
chapters.  2  M.  Terentius  Varro, 

.  born  11*5  B.C.  in  the  Sabiue  town  of 
Reate,  devoted  himself  to  the  study 
of  Roman  antiquities.  He  wrote 
seventy-four  works,  with  a  total  of 
almost  six  hundred  and  twenty 
books.  Of  his  prose  writings  the 
chief  are:  (1)  Antiquitates  Rerum 
Humanarum  et  Divinarum,  an  ac- 
count of  the  political  and  religious 
life  of  Rome.  Of  this  work  only  a 

-few  fragments  remain.  (2)  De  Lin- 
rfita  Latino,  a  grammatical  treatise 
in  twenty-five  books,  of  which  books 
v.-x.  are  in  the  main  extant.  (3)  De 


Re  RiiRtica,  a  dialogue  on  agricul- 
ture, in  three  books,  which  we  pos- 
sess almost  in  its  entirety.  8  The 
reference  is  to  Varro's  Satirae  or 
Miscellanies,  in  one  hundred  and 
fifty  books,  partly  in  prose,  partly 
in  verse,  written  in  imitation  of  the 
Cynic  philosopher,  Menippus,  of 
Gadara  (2">0  B.C.).  4  scatere  =  'to 
gush  forth '  is  properly  used  of  a 
fountain.  Here  it  =  '  to  be  full  of,' 
'to  boil  over.'  5  properly  'lack  of 
restraint,'  'strange  conduct.'  6=  ex- 
erceo  me.  T  =  ex,  'in  accordance 
with.'  So  often  in  Gellius.  8  Trans- 
late '  cured  or  endured.'  9  '  easier  to 
get  on  with.'  Cf.  commode,  p.  17. 
1.13.  1°  =  facit,  reddit.  Cf.  melio- 
rem facit  below. 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  II.  1 


27 


ferre  lepide1  quidem  coraposita2  sunt,  sed  tollere  apparet 
dictum  pro  corrigere.  Id 3  etiam  apparet,  eiusmodl  vitium 
uxoris,  si  corrigi  non  possit,  ferendum  esse  Varronem 
censuisse,  quod  f err!  scilicet  a  viro  honeste  potest ;  vitia 4 
eniin  flagitils  leviora  sunt.  5 

II.  1 

Quo  genere  solitus  sit  philosophus  Socrates  exercere  5  patientiain  6  cor- 
poris  ;  deque  eiusdem  viri  temperantia. 

Inter  labores  voluntaries  et  exercitia  corporis7  ad 
fortultas  patientiae  vices  firmandi  id  quoque  accepimus 
Socraten  facere  Insuevisse :  stare  solitus  Socrates  dicitur  10 
pertinaci  statu  perdius8  atque  pernox8  a  summo  lucis 
ortu  ad  solem  alterum  orientem  inconlvens,9  inimobilis, 
Isdem  in  vestigiis  et  ore  atque  oculls  eundem  in  locum 
dlrectis  cogitabundus,10  tamquani  quodam  secessu  mentis 
atque  animl  facto  a  corpore.  is 

Temperantia  quoque  fuisse  eum  tanta  traditum  est,  ut 
omnia  fere  vitae  suae  tempora  valetudine  inoffensa  u  vixe- 
rit.  In  illius  etiam  pestilentiae  vastitate,12  quae  in  belli 
PeloponnensiacI  principls 13  Atheniensium  civitatem  inter- 
necivo 14  genere  niorbl  depopulata  est,  is  parcendi 15  mode-  20 


1 '  cleverly.'  2  '  put  side  by  side,' 
matched,  as  it  were.  3  Id  is  ex- 
plained by  the  clause  ferendum  .  .  . 
potest.  4  Flagitium  =  '  a  burning 
shame'  is  much  stronger  than  viti- 
um (from  viere,  '  to  twist ')  which 
=  any  departure,  however  slight, 
from  the  right.  5  'develop.'  6  ' en- 
durance.' '  corporis  .  .  .  firmandi: 
the  gerundive  here  seems  to  express 
purpose.  Translate :  '  exercises  for 
the  purpose  of  strengthening  his 
body  to  meet  unexpected  calls  upon 
its  endurance.'  Ad  here  =  '  against.' 
8  Adjectives  with  the  value  of  ad- 


verbs. They  equal  per  diem  and  per 
noctem  respectively.  Cf.  p.  26, 1.  6. 
9  '  without  closing  his  eyes.'  Coni- 
vere  =  to  wink.  10  '  lost  in  thought.' 
11  '  unassailed,'  i.e.  unimpaired. 
12  '  havoc.'  The  reference  is  to  the 
great  plague  at  Athens  in  430  B.C., 
one  of  whose  victims  was  the  famous 
statesman,  Pericles.  13  =  principiis. 
14  =  internecino.  ^  sc.  sibi.  Par- 
cere  sibi  =  '  to  take  good  care  of 
one's  self; '  cf.  Horace  Sat.  i.  4.  126 
Avidos  (gluttons)  vicinum  funus  .  .  . 
aegros  exanimat  mortisque  metu 
sibi  parcere  cogit. 


28 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


randique  rationibus1  dicitur  et  a2  voluptatum  labe  cavisse 
et  salubritates  corporis  retinuisse,  ut  nequaquam  fuerit 
communl  omnium  cladi  obnoxius.3 

I.  19 
Historia  super  libris  Sibyllinis  4  ac  de  Tarquinio  Superbo  rege. 

6  In  antlquis  annalibus 5  memoria  super  libris  Sibyllmls 
haec  prodita  est :  Anus 6  hospita  atque  incognita  ad  Tar- 
quinium  Superbum  regem  adiit,  novem  libros  ferens,  qiios 
esse  dlcebat  divma  oracula ;  eos  velle  venundare.7  Tar- 
quinius  pretium  percontatus  est.  Mulier  nimium  atque 

10  inmensum  poposcit ;  rex,  quasi 8  anus  aetate  desiperet, 
derlsit.  Turn  ilia  foculum9  coram  cum  TgnT  apponit,  trls 
libros  ex  novem  deiirit  et,  ecquid  reliquos  sex  eodem 
pretio  emere  vellet,  regem  interrogavit.  Sed  enim  10  Tar- 


1 '  methods.'  2  5  .  .  .  cavisse:  '  to 
have  guarded  against  the  insidious 
effect  (lit.  '  wasting ')  of  sensual 
pleasures.'  3  '  susceptible  to.' 

4  The  Sibyllas  were  inspired 
maidens  devoted  to  the  worship  of 
Apollo.  Of  the  twelve  known  to  us, 
the  most  famous  was  the  Cumaean 
(cf.  Vergil,  Aeneid,  vi.).  When  Tar- 
quin  received  the  books  from  her  he 
placed  them  in  a  vault  beneath  the 
temple  of  Jupiter  Capitolinus.  When 
this  temple  was  burned  in  83  B.C., 
the  senate  sent  envoys  to  Greece  to 
make  a  new  collection  of  oracular 
sayings.  The  new  books  were  also 
deposited  in  the  temple  of  Jupiter 
Capitolinus  after  its  restoration. 
Thence  Augustus  removed  them  and 
caused  them  to  be  placed  in  two 
golden  chests  concealed  within  the 
pedestal  of  the  statue  of  Apollo, 
which  adorned  the  temple  built  by 


him  on  the  Palatine  in  honor  of  that 
god.  The  last  mention  of  the  Sibyl- 
line books  belongs  to  the  year  3(53 
A.D. 

5  'year-books.'  Technically,  the 
word  refers  to  the  brief  records  of 
contemporary  events  kept  by  the 
Pontifex  Maximus,  and  exposed  to 
view  on  a  white-washed  plank  set 
up  at  his  official  residence.  A  >/iin!i'tt 
is  a  frequent  title  of  Latin  historical 
works,  and  the  early  historians  are 
often  called  Annalists  from  their 
habit  of  giving  the  events  of  each 
year  by  themselves  without  trying 
to  trace  the  sequence  of  cause  ;in  1 
effect.  6  'an  old  woman.'  "  'sell.' 
8  quasi  is  used  here  as  tamqitam  is 
on  p.  22, 1.  3.  See  note  there.  9  '  bra- 
zier.' 10  In  this  combination,  which 
is  very  common  in  Gellius,  eitiui  is 
not  causal,  but  asseverative,  and 
=  profecto. 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  I.  23  29 

quinius  id  multo  risit  magis  dixitque,  anum  iam  procul l 
dubio  delirare.2  Mulier  ibidem  statim  trls  alios  libros 
exussit  atque  id  ipsum  denuo  placide  rogat,  ut  trls  reli- 
quos  eodem  illo  pretio  emat.  Tarquinius  ore  iam  serio 
atque  attentiore  animo  fit,  earn  constantiam  confiden-  5 
tiamqiie  non3  insuper  habendam  intellegit,  libros  trls 
reliquos  mercatur  nihilo  minore  pretio  quam  quod  erat 
petitum  pro  omnibus.  Sed  earn  mulierem  tune  a  Tar- 
quinio  digressam  postea  nusquam  loci  visam  constitit.4 
Libri  tres,  in  sacrarium  conditi,  Sibyllmi  appellati;  ad  10 
eos  quasi  ad  oraculum  Qumdecimviri  adeunt,  cuin  dl 
immortales  publice  consulendi  sunt. 

I.  23 

Quis  f uerit  Papirius  Praetextatus ;  quae  istius  causa  cognomenti  sit ; 
historiaque  ista  omnis  super  eodem  Papirio  cognitu  5  iucunda. 

Historia  de  Papirio  Praetextato  dicta  scriptaque  est  15 
a.  M.  Catone  6  in  oratione,  qua  usus  est  ad  milites  contra 
Galbam,7  cum  multa  quidem  venustate 8  atque  luce 9  atque 
munditia 10  verborum.  Ea  Catonis  verba  huic  prorsus 
commentario  indidissem,  si u  libri  copia  fuisset  id  tempo- 
ris,  cum  haec  dictavl.  Quod  si  non  virtutes  dignitatesque  20 


i  =  sin".  -  =  insanire,  s  non 
Insuper  habendam  =  non  contem- 
iiend'.im.  In  this  phrase  insuper 
virtually  equals  a  predicate  ad- 
jective, meaning  'superfluous.'  Con- 
trast .tat is  hab?re  =  '  to  be  content,' 
4  .«•.  inter  omnes  scriptores,  i.e.  'all 
authorities  are  agreed.'  8  Gellius 
often  uses  the  latter  supine  with 
adjectives:  cf.  memoratu  digmim, 
also/or/'''  iifcittu  atque  depromptu, 
p.  15, 11.  7  and  14.  6  M.  Porcius  Cato 


work  in  seven  books,  of  which  only 
fragments  remain ;  (2)  a  treatise 
De  Re  Rustica,  which  is  extant, 
though  in  a  somewhat  altered 
form ;  (3)  Orations,  of  which  over 
one  hundred  and  fifty  were  known 
to  Cicero.  "  Serv.  Sulpicius  Galba, 
notorious  for  extortion  while  gov- 
ernor of  Lusitania  (Portugal)  in 
151.  8  'grace.'  9  'lucidity.'  Cf. 
note  on  dilucide,  p.  19, 1. 11.  10  '  ele- 
gance.' n  si  ...  fuisset:  'if  I 


('2:51-149  B.C.),  father  of  Latin  prose,    had   had  a  chance   to   consult    the 
Rewrote:  (1)  Origines,  a  historical    book.' 


30 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


verborum,  sed  rem1  ipsam  scire  quaeris,  res  ferme  ad 
hunc  modum  est :  Mos  antea  senatoribus  Komae  f uit,  in 
curiam  cuui  praetextatis 2  fllils  introire.  Turn,  cum  in 
senatu  res  maior  quaepiam  consultata  eaque  in  diem 

5  posterum  prolata  est  placuitque,  ut  earn  rem,  super 3  qua 
tractavissent,  ne  quis  enuntiaret  priusquam  decreta  esset, 
mater  Papirii  pueri,  qul  cum  parente  suo  in  curia  fuerat, 
percontata  est  filium,  quidnam  in  senatu  patres  egissent. 
Puer  respondit  tacendum  esse  neque  id  dlcl  licere. 

10  Mulier  fit  audiendi  cupidior;  secretum  rel  et  silentium 
pueri  animum  eius  ad  inqulrendum  everberat4:  quaerit 
igitur  compressius5  violentiusque.  Turn  puer  matre 
urgente  lepidl6  atque  festivi  mendacii  consilium  capit. 
Actum  in  senatu  dixit,  utrum  videretur  utilius  exque 

15  republics7  esse,  unusne  ut  duas  uxores  haberet,  an  ut 
una  apud 8  duos  nupta  esset.  Hoc  ilia  ubi  audlvit,  ani- 
mus compavescit,9  domo  trepidans 10  egreditur,  ad  ceteras 
matronas  perfert.  Pervenit  ad  senatum  postrldie  matrum 
familias  caterva.11  Lacrimantes  atque  obsecrantes  orant, 

20  iina  potius  ut  duobus  nupta  fieret  quam  ut  unl  duae. 
Senatores  ingredientes  in  curiam,  quae  ilia  mulierum 
intemperies 12  et  quid  sibi 13  postulatio  istaec  vellet,  mira- 
bantur.  Puer  Papirius  in14  medium  curiae  progressus, 
quid 15  mater  audire  mstitisset,  quid  ipse  matii  dixisset, 


1  the  '  gist '  of  the  story,  as  op- 
posed to  vii'tntes  .  .  .  verborum,  the 
'  elegances '  of  style.  2  i.e.  lads  still 
wearing  the  toya praetexta,  or  white 
toga  with  purple  border.  The  tor/a 
virilis  was  pure  white.  8  =  cle. 
Tractare  is  usually  construed  with 
the  accusative.  4  =  incitat.  5  '  more 
earnestly.'  6  A  colloquial  word,  like 
our  '  jolly.'  "  '  to  the  interest  of  the 
state.'  Since  this  phrase  is  coupled 
with  a  comparative  (utilius),  we 
must  supply  mag  Is  with  it.  8  apud 


.  .  .  esset :  niibere  usually  takes  the 
dative,  as  helow  twice,  1.  20.  9  =  '  is 
thoroughly  frightened.'  10  'All  in  a 
flutter.'  Cf.  tremibundi,  trepidttli, 
p.  35, 1.  9,  used  of  frightened  birds. 
11  'host.'  12  cf.  p.  26,  n.  5.  ™  sibi 
.  .  .  vellet:  'meant.'  14  in  medium 
curiae:  post-classical  for  in  m<'.<li<un 
curiam.  J5  Grammatically,  the  quid- 
clauses  depend  on  denarrat  as  sub- 
junctives of  dependent  question ; 
logically,  they  are  in  apposition  to 
rem. 


NOCTES  ATTICAE,  I.  24 


31 


rem,  slcut  fuerat,  denarrat.  Senatus  fideni  atque  inge- 
nium  pueri  exosculatur,1  consultum  facit,  uti 2  posthac 
pueri  cum  patribus  in  curiam  ne2  introeant,  praeter3 
ille  unus  Papirius,  atque  puero  postea  cognomentum 
honoris  gratia 4  inditum  Praetextatus  ob  tacendl  loquendl-  5 
que  in  aetate  praetextae  prudentiam. 

I.  24 

Tria  epigrammata5  trium  veterum  poetarum,  Naevii,6  Plauti,"  Pacu- 
vii,8  quae  facta  ab  ipsis  sepulcrls  eorum  incisa  sunt. 

Trium  poetarum  inlustrium  epigrammata,  Cn.  Naevii, 
Plauti,  M.  Pacuvii,  quae  ipsi  fecerunt  et  incidenda  sepul-  10 
cro  suo  reliquerunt,  nobilitatis  eorum  gratia9  et  venustatis 
scrlbenda  in  his  commentarils  esse  duxi. 

Epigramnia  Naevi  plenum  superbiae  Campanae,10  quod 
testimonium  esse  iustum  potuisset,  nisi  ab  ipso  dictum 
esset :  15 

Inmortales  mortales  si  foret  fas  flere, 
Flerent  divae  Camenae  n  Naevium  poetam. 
Itaque  postquam  est  Orchi 12  traditus  thesauro, 
Oblitl  sunt  Romae  loquier 13  lingua  Latma. 


1  lit.  '  kisses  eagerly ' ;  here  = 
conlaudat.  -  uti . . .  ne  =  ne  occurs 
several  times  iu  Gellius.  The  usage 
is  not  uncommon  in  Cicero.  3  prae- 
ter is  here  an  adverb,  as  occasion- 
ally in  post-classical  prose,  even  in 
Livy.  *  =  causa.  Both  ccmsa  and 
gratia  occur  in  Gellius,  the  latter, 
however,  much  the  more  frequently. 

5  Epitaphs.  6  Cn.  Naevius  (200- 
200  B.C.)  wrote  comedies  and  trage- 
dies. He  composed  the  first  Latin 
epic,  the  Helium  Punicum,  an 
account  of  the  first  Punic  war, 
from  which  Vergil  borrowed  freely. 
7  T.  Maccius  Plautus,  the  greatest 
Roman  comic  poet,  lived  251-184  B.C. 


Twenty  of  his  plays  are  extant. 
8  M.  Pacuvius,  a  distinguished  tragic 
poet,  lived  about  220-130  B.C.  See 
the  story  told  of  him  by  Gellius  in 
xiii.  2. 

9  Here  and  in  four  other  pas- 
sages in  Gellius  gratia  seems  to  = 
'on  account  of.'  10  Naevius  was  a 
Campanian  by  birth.  A  charge 
more  frequently  made  against  the 
Campanians  is  that  of  Effeminacy, 
as  the  result  of  luxurious  habits. 
11  Properly,  the  Camenae  were  three 
Italian  goddesses  of  prophecy,  but 
the  Roman  poets  identified  them  with 
the  Greek  Muses.  12  =  Plutonis. 
13  an  archaic  form,  =  loqui. 


32 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


10 


Epigramma  Plauti,  quod  dubitassemus  an1  PlautI 
foret,  nisi  a  M.  Varrone  positum  esset  in  libro  De  Poetls 
primo : 

Postquam  est  mortem  aptus 2  Plautus,  Comoedia  luget, 
Scaena3  est  deserta,  dein  Blsus,  Ludus  locusque 
Et  Numeri  *  innumerl  simul  ouines  conlacrimarunt. 

Epigramma  Pacuvil  verecundissimum5  et  purissimum 
dignumque  eius  elegantissima  gravitate : 

Adulescens,  tametsi  properas,  te"  hoc  saxum  rogat, 
Vt  sese  aspicias,  deinde  quod  scrlptum  est  legas. 
Hie  sunt  poetae  Pacuvi  Marcl  sita 
Ossa.     Hoc 6  volebam  nescius  ne  esses.     Vale. 


I.  26 

Quern  in  moclum  mihi  Taurus "  philosophus  responderit  percontanti,  an 
sapiens  irasceretur. 

15  Interrogavi  in  diatriba8  Taurum,  an  sapiens  Irasce- 
retur. Dabat  enim  saepe  post  cotidianas  lectiones  quae- 
rendl  quod  quis  vellet  potestatem.  Is  cum  graviter,9 
copiose  de  morbo 10  affectuve  irae  disseruisset,  quae  et  in 
veterum  libris  et  in  ipsius  commentarils J  exposita  sunt, 


l  an  =  '  whether  '  is  repeatedly 
used  by  Gellius  in  single  dependent 
questions.  2  aptus  est  is  from 
apiscor,  which  properly  =  '  to  gain  by 
effort.'  Here,  however,  est  mortem 
aptus  merely  =  mortuus  est.  Cf.  Gell. 
xiii.  1.5  Elissa  (i.e.  Dido)  quae  mor- 
tem p"r  vim  potita  est.  s  '  the  stage  ' ; 
properly,  the  permanent  wall  of 
masonry  which  bounded  the  stage 
at  the  back,  and  in  front  of  which 
the  scenery  was  arranged.  4  '  Melo- 
dies (numeri)  without  number,'  an 
allusion  to  the  number  and  variety 
of  the  meters  employed  by  Plau- 


tus. Numeri  is  strongly  personified. 
8  '  neatest.'  The  word  implies  purity 
of  style  and  freedom  from  offensive 
arrogance.  6  Hoc  is  governed  by 
nescius  esses,  which  together  =  nc- 
scires.  This  construction  belongs  to 
early  Latin.  So  Plautus  writes: 
gnaruris  ('  knowing ')  vos  volo  esse 
haitc  rein  inecum. 

1  See  Introduction,  §  6.  The 
scene  of  this  discussion,  therefore, 
is  laid  in  Athens.  8 '  school.'  9  '  ear- 
nestly.' 10  morbus  is  a  term  of 
medicine,  affectus  ('  affection  ' )  of 
philosophy. 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  I.  26  33 

convertit  ad  me,  qui  interrogaveram,  et  "Haec  ego" 
inquit  "  super  Irascendo  sentio ;  sed,  quid  et  Plutarchus l 
noster,  vir  doctissimus  ac  prudentissimus,  senserit,  non2 
ab  re  est,  ut  id  quoque  audias.  Plutarchus"  inquit 
"servo  suo,  nequam3  homim4  et  contumaci,  sed  libris  5 
disputationibusque  philosophiae  aures  inbutas  habentl, 
tuiiicam  detrahi  ob  nescio  quod  delictum  caedique  eum 
loro5  iussit.  Coeperat  verberari  et  obloquebatur  non 
meruisse,  ut  vapulet,6  nihil  mall,  nihil  sceleris  admisisse. 
Postremo  vociferari  inter  vapiilandum  incipit,  neque  iam  10 
querimonias  aut  gemitus  eiulatusque  facere,  sed  verba 
seria  et  obiurgatoria :  non  ita  esse  Plutarchum,  ut  philo- 
sophum  deceret;  Irasci  turpe  esse;  saepe7  eum  de  rnalo 
Irae  dissertavisse,  librum  quoque  -n-f.pl  dopy^o-tas8  pul- 
cherrimum  conscripsisse ;  his  omnibus,  quae  in  eo  libro  15 
scripta  sint,  nequaquam  con  venire,9  quod  provolutus10 
effususque  in  Irani  plurimis  se  plagls  multaret.11  Turn 
Plutarchus  lente  et  leniter  '  Quid  autem '  inquit  '  ver- 
bero,  ^  nunc  ego  tibi  Irasci  videor  ?  ex  vultune  meo  an 
ex  voce  an  ex  colore  an  etiam  ex  verbis  correptum  esse  20 
me"  Ira  intellegis  ?  mihi  quidem  neque  oculi,  opmor, 
truces  sunt  neque  6s  turbidum  neque  inmaniter  clamo 
neque  in  spumam  ruboremve  effervesce  neque  pudenda 
dico  aut  paenitenda  neque  oninino  trepido  Ira  et  gestio. 

1  '  my  friend  and  teacher  P.'  So 
in  i.  9. 8  Gellius  calls  his  teacher  Tau- 
rus, Taurus  noster.  Cf.  also  p.  77,  n.  2. 
-  non  .  .  .  est :  '  it  is  not  foreign  to  the 
point,'  i.e.  it  is  fitting.  3  An  indeclin- 
able adjective  =  '  worthless.'  4  Join 
with  detrahi.  5<a  leather  thong.' 


word  denoting  repetition,  as  by 
saepe  here.  Cf.  also  such  expres- 
sions as  ventitare  solitum  iii.  13.  1; 
solitavisse  ventitare  vi.  1. 6.  8  '  How 
to  keep  cool.'  9  'harmonize.'  The 
subject  is  the  clause  quod  .  .  .  mul- 


6  vapulare  —  'to  be  beaten.'    ~  saepe    taret.    10  provolutus  .  .  .  iniram: 
.  .  .  dissertavisse:  if  properly  used,  i  'in     such     ungovernable      anger.' 


frequentative  verbs  denote  the  fre- 
quent repetition  of  an  act,  but  in 
Gellius  they  often  lose  this  force  so 
completely  that  he  feels  called  upon 

AUL.    GEL. 3 


11  multare  (cf.  multa,  a  fine)=  'to 
fine,'  i.e.  to  punish.  ^  (cf.  verber, 
a  blow)  '  a  man  deserving  of  blows," 
'a  rascal.' 


34 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


Haec  enim  omnia,  si  ignoras,  signa  esse  irarum.  solent.' 
Et  simul  ad  eum,  qul  caedebat,  con  versus,  ( Interim ' 
inquit '  dum  ego  atque  hie  disputamus,  tu  hoc 1  age.' " 

II.  29 
Apologus2  Aesopi8  Phrygis  memoratu  non  inutilis. 

5  Aesopus  ille  e  Phrygia4  tabulator  haat  inmerito  sa- 
piens exlstimatus  est,  cum,5  quae  utilia B  monitu  suasuque 
erant,  non  severe  neque  imperiose  praecepit  et  censuit,7 
ut  philosophls  mos  est,  sed  festivos  delectabilesque  apo- 
logos  commentus,8  res  salubriter  ac  prospicienter  ani- 

10  madversas  in  mentes  animosque  homiiium  cum  audiendi 
quadam  inlecebra9  induit.10  Velut11  haec  eius  fabula  de 
aviculae  nidulo  lepide  atque  iucunde  promonet  spem 
fiduciamque  rerum,  quas  efficere  quis  possit,  haut  um- 
quam  in  alio,  sed  in  semetipso  habendam.  "  Avicula " 

15  inquit  "est  parva,  nomen  est  cassita.1^  Habitat  nidula- 
turque  in  segetibus,  id  ferine  temporis,  ut  appetat18 
messis14  pullis  iam  iam  plumantibus.15  Ea  cassita  in 
sementes 1(S  forte  congesserat  tempestiviores ;  propterea 
frumentls  flavescentibus 17  pulli  etiam  tune  involucres 18 

20  erant.     Dum   igitur    ipsa   iret   cibuni   pullis   quaesltum, 


1  hoc  age :  originally  a  sacrificial 
formula,   then  a  colloquial  phrase, 
which  =  '  Give  all  your  attention  to 
the  matter  in  hand ' ;  here  =  '  Go  on 
with  the  whipping.' 

2  =  fabula.    3  Aesop   flourished 
about  570  B.C.    The  fables  commonly 
ascribed  to  him  are  not  from  his  hand, 
at  least  in  their  present  form.    4  e 
Phrygia  =  an  adjective  :  cf .  Phrygis 
in  the  title,  and  e  Lesbo  Theophrastus 
xiii.  5. 11;  quispiam  dives  ex  Asia 
xix.  1. 7,  but  divitem  ilium  Asiaticum 
xix.  1.  11.     6  cum  =  '  since,'  yet  is 
coupled  with  the  indicatives  praece- 


pit, censuit,  and  induit.  This  con- 
struction Gellius  borrowed  from  the 
archaic  Latin  writers.  °  utilia  .  .  . 
suasu :  '  useful  warnings  and  advice.' 
Cf.  p.  29,  n.  5.  7  =  docuit.  8  from 
coinminiscor  'to  compose.'  9  'al- 
lurement, charm.'  cum  . . .  inlecehra 
=  '  in  a  way  that  enticed  them  to 
listen.'  10 '  instilled.'  n  Cf.p.21,n.4. 
12  '  the  crested  lark.'  13  =  uppropin- 
quet.  14  '  the  harvest.'  15  '  feather- 
ing.' 16  sementes  tempestiviores  == 
'  corn  that  ripened  earlier  than  usual.' 
With  congesserat  sc.  nidum.  l7  Cf. 
flavus.  18  '  unfledged.' 


XOCTES   ATTICAE,  II.  29 


35 


nionet  eos,  ut,  si  quid  ibi  rei  novae  fieret  dicereturve, 
aniinadverterent  idque  utl  sibi,  ubi  redisset,  nuntiarent. 
Dominus  postea  segetum  illarum  filium  adulescentem 
vocat  et  'Videsne'  inquit  'haec  ematuruisse 1  et  manus 
iara  postulate  ?  idcirco  die  crastini,2  ubi  prlmum  dllu-  5 
culabit,3  fac  amlcos4  eas  et  roges  veniant  operamque5 
mutuam  dent  et  messim6  hanc  nobls  adiuvent.'  Haec 
ubi  ille  dlxit,  et 7  discessit.  Atque  ubi  redit  casslta,  pulli 
tremibundl,  trepiduli  circumstrepere  8  orareque 8  matrem, 
ut  iam  statim  properet  inque  alium  locum  sese  asportet :  10 
'nam  dominus'  inquiunt  'misit,  qul  amicos  roget  utl 
luce  oriente  veniant  et  metant.'  Mater  iubet  eos  otioso 
animo  esse :  '  Si  enim  dominus '  inquit  '  messim  ad  ami- 
cos  reicit,  crastino  seges  non  metetur  neque  necessum9 
est,  hodie  utl  vos  auferam.'  "Die"  inquit lu"postero  mater  15 
in  pabulum  volat.  Dominus,  quos  rogaverat,  opperltur. 
Sol  fervit,11  et  fit  nihil ;  it  dies,  et  amid  null!  eunt.  Turn 


1  Cf.  maturus.  E  and  ex  in 
composition  denote  thoroughness, 
success.  2  An  archaic  form  =  cra- 
stino. For  other  archaisms  in  this 
chapter  see  p.  34,  n.  5,  and  notes 
7,  9,  11  below,  and  see  the  Introduc- 
tion, §§  4  and  12.  3  '  it  dawns.'  Cf . 
luce  oriente,  1.  12.  4  The  omission 
of  ad  before  amlcos  is  striking, 
since  in  general  Gellius  displays  a 
tendency  to  use  prepositions  to  ex- 
cess. Ex  is,  however,  omitted  in 
xvi.  6.  1,  rerfeunles  Graecia.  5  ope- 
ram  .  .  .  dent:  'lend  us  their  aid.' 
So  Cato,  speaking  of  the  duties  of 
the  farm  overseer,  says  :  cibaria, .  .  . 
vinum,  oleum  mutuum  dederit  ne- 
>nini.  6  messim  .  .  .  adiuvent:  'aid 
this  crop  for  us,'  i.e.  help  us  with, 
this  crop.  There  is  personification 
here  as  above,  lines  4  and  5,  Videsne 
haec  .  .  .  manus  postulare?  With 
this  view  nobls  is  a  dative  of  ad- 


vantage. It  would  be  possible,  how- 
ever, to  regard  nobls  as  dative  after 
adiuvent,  a  construction  extremely 
rare,  but  illustrated  by  the  fact  that 
in  colloquial  Latin  adiutare  is  con- 
structed with  the  dative.  If  this 
view  be  accepted,  we  must  regard 
messim  as  a  Greek  accusative  of 
respect.  7  Good  usage  would  omit 
this  et.  Similarly  careless  sentences 
are  iii.  1.  5  Vix  ego  haec  dixeram 
atque  inibi  quispiam  inquit;  xvii. 
20.  4  Haec  verba  ubi  lecta  sunt  at- 
que ibi  Taurus  mihi  inquit.  These 
expressions  are  colloquial,  and,  per- 
haps, archaic.  8  Historical  infini- 
tives. Notice  that  the  subject  pulli 
is  in  the  nominative  case.  y  An 
archaic  form  of  necesse,  frequent  in 
Gellius.  10  sc.  Aesopus.  In  quoted 
narratives  like  this,  Gellius  is  fond 
of  inserting  this  wholly  superfluous 
inquit.  u  Archaic  ior/ervet. 


36 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


ille  rursum  ad l  f ilium  '  Amici  1st!  magnam 2  partem ' 
inquit  ' cessatores  3  snnt.  Qum 4  potius  Imus  et  cognatos5 
adfmesque  nostros  oramus,  ut  assint  eras  tempoii6  ad 
metendum  ? '  Itidem  hoc  pulli  pavefacti  matrl  nuntiant. 

5  Mater  hortatur,  ut  turn 7  quoque  sine  metu  ac  sine  cura 
sint,  cognatos  adflnesque  nullos  ferme  tarn  esse  obsequi- 
biles8  ait,  ut  ad  laborem  capessendum9  nihil  cunctentur 
et  statim  dicto  oboediant :  '  Vos  modo '  inquit  '  advertite, 
si  modo  quid  denuo 10  dlcetur.'  Alia  luce  orta  avis  in  pas- 

10  turn  profecta  est.  Cognati  et  adfmes  operam,  quam  dare 
rogati  sunt,  supersSderunt.11  Ad  postremum  igitur  domi- 
nus  filio12  'Valeant'13  inquit  'amici  cum  propinquis.5 
Afferes  u  prlmo  M  luci  falces  duas ;  unam  egomet  mihi  et  tu 
tibi  capies  alteram  et  frumentum  nosmetipsi  manibus 

15  nostris  eras  metemus.'  Id  ubi  ex  pullis  dlxisse  dominum 
mater  audlvit,  '  Tempus '  inquit  '  est  cedendi  et  abeundi ; 
f  let  nunc  dubio  procul  quod  futurum  dixit.  In  ipso  enim 
iam  vertitur  cuia16  res  est,  non  in  alio,  unde  petitur.' 
Atque  ita  cassita  nldum  migravit,17  seges  a  domino  de- 

20  messa  est." 


1  ad  filium  .  .  .  inquit  =  Jilio 
inquit.  With  this  construction,  bor- 
rowed by  Gellius  from  the  plebeian 
speech,  compare  dicere  ad,  dictitare 
ad,  and  loqui  ad,  all  of  which  occur 
in  the  Noctes  Atticae.  2  Adverbial 
accusative  of  degree.  8  '  loiterers.' 
4  Quin  Imus :  literally,  '  Why  don't 
wo  go  ?'  but  =  a  command,  eamus. 
3  Cognati  are  kinsmen  by  blood, 
adfines  relatives  by  marriage,  pro- 
pinqui  relatives  in  general,  whether 
by  blood  or  marriage.  6  '  be- 
times.' 7  turn  quoque :  '  this  time 
too.'  8  'obliging.'  »  Cf.  p.  17,  n.  6. 
10  '  anew,  afresh.'  Thus  si  ...  dl- 
cetur =  si  quid  rei  novae  diceretur, 
p.  35, 1.  1.  u  =  omiserunt.  l'2  fflio 


.  .  .  inquit:  contrast  the  construc- 
tion here  with  that  in  1. 1,  ad  jilium 
inquit,  and  see  the  note  there. 
13  valeant  amid :  '  farewell  to  onr 
friends.'  Vale,  '  goodby,'  is  a  com- 
mon expression  at  the  close  of  Latin 
letters.  14  The  future  indicative, 
here  as  often  (especially  in  Latin  of 
a  colloquial  coloring),  =  an  impera- 
tive. 15  prlmo  luci:  an  archaic 
phrase,  for  which  in  the  best  period 
prima  luc.e,  or  luce  orient e  is  writ- 
ten. 16  From  cuiits,  a,  uni  =  '  whose.' 
Translate :  '  For  the  matter  is  de- 
pendent now  on  (literally  '  is  turning 
on,'  as  a  door  on  a  pivot)  him  alone 
whom  it  really  concerns.'  17  're- 
moved,' a  rare  sense. 


NOCTES  ATTICAE,  III.  7 


37 


III.   7 

Historia  ex  Annalibus 1  sumpta  de  Q.  Caedicio  tribuno  militum ;  verba- 
que  ex  Orlginibus2  M.  Catonis  apposita,  quibus  Caedici  virtutem 
cum  Spartaiio3  Leonida  aequiperat. 

Pulcrum,  dil  bonl,4  facinus5  Graecarumque   facundi- 
arum  magniloquentia 6  condlgnum  M.  Cato  libris  Origi-    5 
num  de  Q.  Caedicio  tribune  militum  scriptum  reliquit. 

Id  profecto  est  ad  hanc  ferme  sententiam :  Imperator 
Poenus  in  terra  Sicilia,  bello  Carthaginiensi  primo,  ob- 
viam  Romano  exercitu7  progreditur,  colles  locosque  ido- 
neos  prior  occupat.  Mllites  Romani,  uti8  res  nata  est,  10 
in  locum  msinuant  fraudl  et  perniciel  obnoxium.  Tribu- 
nus  ad  consulem  venit,  ostendit  exitium  de 9  loci  importu- 
nitate  et  hostium  circumstantia  maturum.  "  Censeo " 
inquit  "  si  rem 10  servare  vis,  f  aciundum,  ut  quadringentos 
aliquos  milites  ad  verrucam11  illam,"  —  sic  enim  Cato  15 
locum  editum  asperumque  appellat,  —  "ire  iubeas,  eam- 
que  uti  occupent  imperes  horterisque ;  hostes  profecto 
ubi  id  vlderint,  fortissimus 12  quisque  et  promptissinius 
ad13  occursandum  pugnandumque  in  eos  praevertentur 


i  Cf.  p.  28,  n.  5.  2  Cf.  p.  29,  n.  6. 
In  his  biography  of  Cato,  ch.  3,  Cor- 
nelius Xepos  saj-s  of  the  Origines: 
Primus  (liber)  continet  res  gestas 
populi  Romuni,  secundus  et  tertius 
unde  quaeque  civitas  orta  sit  Italica, 
ob  quain  rem  omnes  Origines  vide- 
tur  appellasse.  3  cum  Spartano 
Leonida  =  cum  Spartani  Leonidae 
virtute.  Such  short-cut  forms  of 
comparison  are  normal  in  Latin. 
4  '  great  heavens ' ;  a  bit  of  slang. 
6  '  deed  '  (cf .  facio) ;  here  of  a  good 
deed,  though  generally  =  'misdeed.' 
6  Here  a  term  of  commendation,  like 
our '  best  efforts.'  "  an  old  dative,  to 
be  taken  with  obviani .  s  uti . . .  est  : 
literally  'as  circumstances  arose,' 


i.e.  'as  it  happened.'  The  clause 
practically  =  a  simple  forte.  Soj>ro 
or  e  rz  nata  =  'as  matters  stand.' 
9  de  .  .  .  circumstantia :  '  in  conse- 
quence of  the  unfavorable  nature 
of  the  ground  and  the  fact  that  the 
enemy  surrounded  them.'  10  servare 
rem  =  '  to  preserve  what  one  has  at 
stake.'  u  literally  'a  wart,'  'pimple.' 
12  '  all  the  bravest  and  readiest.'  In 
this  common  idiom  quisque  regularly 
follows  the  adjective.  13  Take  with 
praevertentur,  which  =  'to  give  one's 
self  up  to  one  thing  in  preference  to 
all  others.'  Praevertentur  and  alll- 
gabunt  are  plural,  because  the  sub- 
ject fortissimus  quisque,  though  sin- 
gular in  form,  is  plural  in  meaning. 


38  AULUS  GELLIUS 

unoque  illo  negotio  sese  alligabunt  atque  ill!  omnes 
quadringenti  procul  dubio  obtruncabuntur.  Tune  interea 
occupatls  in  ea  caede  hostibus  tempus  exercitus  ex  hoc 
loco  educendl  habebis.  Alia  nisi  haec  salutis  via  niilla 

5  est."  Consul  tribuno  respondit  consilium  quidem l  istud 
aeque  providens  sibi  viderier ; 2  "  Sed 1  istos  "  inquit 
"  milites  quadringentos  ad  eum  locum  in  hostium  cuneos 
quisnam  erit  qui  ducat  ?  "  "  Si  alium  "  inquit  tribunus 
"  neminem  repperis,3  me  licet  ad  hoc  perlculum  utare ; 

10  ego  hanc  tibi  et  relpublicae  animam  do."  Consul  tribuno 
gratias  laudesque  agit.  Tribunus  et  quadringenti  ad 
moriendum  proficlscuntur.  Hostes  eorum  audaciam  de- 
mlrantur,  quorsum  Ire  pergant  in4  exspectando  sunt. 
Sed  ubi  apparuit  ad  earn  verrueam  occupandam  iter 

15  intendere,  mittit  adversum  illos  imperator  Carthagini- 
ensis  peditatum  equitatiimque,  quos  in  exereitu  viros 
habuit  strenuissimos.  Roman!  milites  circumveniuntur, 
circumventl  repugnant ;  fit  proelium  diu  anceps.  Tan- 
dem superat  multitudo.  Quadringenti  omnes 5  cum  uno 

20  perfossl  gladils  aut  missllibus  opertl  cadunt.  Consul  in- 
terim, dum  ibi  pugnatur,  se  in  locos  tutos  atque  editos 
subd  licit. 

Sed  quod  illl  tribuno,  duel  militum  quadringentorum, 
divmitus6  in  eo  proelio  usu7  venit,  non  iam  nostrls,  sed 

25  ipslus  Catonis  verbls  subiecimus :  "  Dil  inmortales  tri- 
biino  militum  fortunam  ex  virtiite  eius  dedere.  !S"am  ita 
evenit :  cum  saucius  multifariam 8  ibi  factus  esset,  tarn  en 
vulnus  capitl 9  nullum  evenit,  eumque  inter  mortuos,  defe- 

i  Cf.  p. 24,  n.13.  *=i:ideri.  Cf.  |  derandoque  sunt;  xi.  16.  6  cum 
p.  31,  n.  13.  3  repperis  may  be  re- 
garded either  (1)  as  a  variant  spell- 
ing for  repcris  (present),  or  (2)  as  = 
reppereris  (future  perfect).  4  in  ex- 
spectando sunt  =  exspectant.  Cf. 


diutule  tacitus  in  cogitando 

5  omnes  cum  uno:  'all  to  a  man.' 
Omnes  ad  unum  is  the  usual  phrase. 

6  an  adverb,  =  ' through  the  grace 
of  the  gods.'     "  usu   venit  =  '  liai>- 


xi.  5.  3  in  quaerendo  semper  consi-  \  pened.'    8  'repeatedly.'    '•*  'life. 


NOCTES  ATTIC AE,  III.  15  39 

tigatum1  vulneribus  atque  quod  sanguen2  eius  defluxe- 
rat,  cognovere.  Eum  sustulere,  isque  convaluit,  saepeque 
post  ilia3  operam  relpublicae  fortem  atque  strenuam 
praeliibuit4  illoque  facto,  quod  illos  mllites  subduxit, 
exercitum  ceterum  servavit.  Sed  idem  benefactum  quo  5 
in  loco  ponas,  nimium  interest.  Leouidae  Laconi,  qul 
simile  apud  Thermopylas  fecit,  propter  eius  virtutes 
omnis  Graecia  gloriam  atque  gratiam  praecipuam  reddidit ; 
eum  claritudinis  inclitissimae  decoravere5  monumen- 
tis;  signls,6  statuls,  elogils,7  historils  aliisque  rebus  gra-  10 
tissimum8  id  eius  factum  habuere;  at  tribuno  mllitum 
parva  laus  pro  factis  relicta,  qul  idem  fecerat  atque  rem 
servaverat." 

III.  15 

Exstare  in  litteris9  perque10  hominum  memorias  traditum,  quod11  re- 
pente  multis  mortem  attulit  gauditim  ingens  Insperatum,  interclusa   15 
anima12  et  vim  magni  novique  motus  non  sustinente. 

Cognito  repente  msperato  gaudio  exsplrasse 13  animam 
refert14  Aristoteles  philosophus  Polycritam,  nobilem  femi- 
nam  Naxo  Insula.15  Philippides 16  quoque,  comoediarum 
poeta  haut  Ignobilis,  aetate17  iam  edita,  cum  in  certamine  20 


1  This  word  is  qualified  by  the 
causal  ablative  vulneribus  and  the 
clause  quod  .  .  .  defluxerat.  2  ar- 
chaic for  sanguis.  3  archaic  for 
postea.  4  archaic  =praebuit.  5  For 
the  plural  cf.  p. 37,  n.13.  6  'paintings.' 
"  'complimentary  inscriptions '  on 
the  statuae.  8  grStum  habere  =  'to 
hold  in  grateful  remembrance.' 

9  litteris  =  '  written  records  ' ; 
hominum  memorias  =  '  oral  tradi- 


by  Gellius  after  verbs  and  expres- 
sions of  saying,  where  the  best 
writers  would  use  the  infinitive  with 
subject  accusative.  *-  anima  = 
'air,'  then  'breath,'  i.e.  the  animal 
principle  of  life.  Translate:  'since 
their  life  (principle)  was  stifled,  and 
was  unable  to  endure. ' 

is  exsplrasse  is  here  transitive, 
governing  animam  (see  n.  12).  Else- 
where exspirare  alone  =  '  to  die.' 


tion.'  10  Gellius  often  uses  per  with  [ 14  =  narrat.  15  In  more  careful 
tue  accusative  as  equivalent  to  an  '  Latin,  ex  would  be  written  with  in- 
ablative  of  means.  n  quod  '  that,'  suHl;  cf.  e  Phrygia,  p.  34, 1.5.  16  P. 
generally  with  the  indicative,  some-  '  flourished  at  Athens  about  325  B.C. 
times  with  the  subjunctive,  is  used  , 1:  aetate  edita  =  in  senectute. 


40  AULUS   GELLIUS 

poetarum  praeter  spem  vicisset  et  laetissime"  gauderet, 
inter  illud  gaudium  repente  mortuus  est.  I)e  Rodio 
etiam  Diagora  celebrata  historia  est.  Is  Diagoras  tris 
filios  adulescentes  habuit,  unum  pugilein,1  alterum  pan- 

5  cratiasten,2  tertium  luctatorem.3  Eos  omnis  vidit  vin- 
cere  coronarique  Olympiae4  eodem  die  et,  cum  ibi  emu 
tres  adulescentes  amplexi  coronis  suis  in  caput  patris 
positis  saviarentur,5  cum  populus  gratulabundus 6  flores 
undique  in  eum  iaceret,  ibidem  in  stadio7  inspectante 

10  populo  in  osculis 8  atque  in  manibus  f Iliormu  animam 9 
efflavit.10 

Praeterea  in  nostris  "  Annalibus  scriptum  legimus,  qua 
tempestate 12  apud  Cannas 13  exercitus  populi  Roman!  cae- 
sus  est,  anum14  matrem,  nuntio  de  morte  filii  adlato, 

is  luctu15  atque  maerore  affectam  esse;  set  is  nuntius  non 
verus  fuit  atque  is  adulescens  non  diu  post  ex  ea  pugna 
in  urbem  redit.  Anus,  repente  filio  vlso,  copia  "atque 
turba 16  et  quasi  rulna 17  incidentis  inopinatl 18  gaudil  op- 
pressa  exanimataque  est. 


11  boxer."  2  a  victor  in  the  pan-  \  enim  in  caelum  ascensurus  es." 
cratiinn,  a  contest  which  included  !  n  =  Romanis.  The  preceding  story, 
wrestling  and  boxing.  Translate :  |  of  course,  had  come  from  some 
'an  all-round  athlete.'  8  'a  wrestler.'  j  Greek  source.  12  =  tempore,  as  of  ten 


4  Olympia  was  the  name  of  the  dis- 
trict in  Elis  (a  province  of  the  Pelo- 
ponnesus), in  which  every  four  years 
games  were  held  in  honor  of  Ju- 
piter. 5  '  were  kissing ' ;  a  colloquial 
word.  6  Gellius  is  rather  fond  of 
adjectives  ending  in  bundus.  They 
have  the  value  of  present  participles 
active.  ' '  the  race-course.'  8  '  kiss- 
es.' 9  cf .  exspirasse  animam  above, 
p.  39,  1. 17.  10  Cicero,  in  his  Tuscu- 
lanae  Disputationes  I,  §  111,  gives 
this  story  somewhat  differently,  stat- 
ing that  a  certain  Spartan  said  to 
Diagoras:  "  Morere,  Diagora,  non 


in  Gellius.  13  A  city  in  Apulia, 
where,  in  216  B.C.,  in  the  course  of 
the  Second  Punic  War,  the  Romans 
sustained  a  terrible  defeat  at  the 
hands  of  Hannibal.  14  anum  (cf.  p. 
28,  n.  (!)  is  here  virtually  an  adjective. 
15  luctus  is  the  feeling  of  grief, 
maeror  is  grief  as  revealed  by  out- 
ward signs.  1G  'bewildering  influ- 
ence.' 17  rulna  is  far  the  strongest 
of  the  three  nouns,  the  metaphor  it 
contains  being  derived  from  the 
falling  of  a  building.  Render  by 
'torrent,  avalanche.'  For  quasi  cf. 
p.  15,  n.  14.  18  =  insperati. 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  IV.  18  41 

IV.   13 

Quod  incentiones1  quaedam  tibiarum  certo  mods  factae   ischiacls2 
mederl3  possint. 

Creditum  hoc  a  plerisque  esse  et  memoriae  mandatuni, 
ischia  cum  maxinie  doleant,  turn,  si  modulis  lenibus  tibi- 
cen  incinat,  minul  dolores  ego  nuperrime  in  libro  Theo-    » 
phrastl4   scriptum   invenl.     Viperarum   morsibus  tibici- 
niiun 5  scite  inodulateque  adhibitum 6  mederi  ref ert  etiam 
Democritl  liber,  qul  Inscrlbitur  irtpl  A.ot/Auiv,7  in  quo  docet 
plurimis  hominum8  morbidis   medicmae9  fuisse  incenti- 
ones  tibiarum.     Tanta  prosus10  adfmitas  est  corporibus  10 
hominum   nientibusque   et   propterea  vitiis    quoque   aut 
medellis  anirnorum  et  corporum. 

IV.  18 

De  P.  Africans  superiore  n  sumpta  quaedam  ex  Annalibus  memoratu 
dignissima. 

Scipio  Africanus  antlquior  quanta  virtutum  gloria  15 
praestiterit  et  quam  f uerit  altus  animl 12  atque  magnificus 
et  qua  sui  conscientia  subnlxus,13  plurimis  rebus,  quae 
dixit  quaeque  fecit,  declaratum  est.  Ex  quibus  sunt 
haec  duo  exempla  eius  flduciae14  atque  exsuperantiae 15 
ingentis :  20 

1  Incentiones  tibiarum :  '  per-  5  =  incentio  tibiarum.  6  '  employed.' 
formances  on  the  pipes.'  The  tibia  '  irepi  \oifj.uv  —  De  Morbis.  8  parti- 
resembled  the  flute.  Two  were  gen-  tive  genitive  with  morbidis.  9  dative 
erally  used  at  once  by  the  player;  with  fuisse.  10  =  prorsiis,  'verily.' 
hence  the  plural.  2  =  'persons'  u  Cf. antiqidor,  1.15.  Therefer- 
suffering  from  ischia '  (1. 4),  i.e.  gout  ence  is  to  P.  Scipio  Africanus  Maior, 
of  the  hips.  The  word  is  dative  with  who  defeated  Hannibal  at  Zama,  in 
mederl.  3'cure.'  Cf.  medellis  cures  Africa,  202  B.C.  u  genitive  of  re- 
1. 11'.  and  medicina, '  the  healing  art.'  spect  with  altus.  Cf .  magnanimus. 

4  A  Greek  philosopher  (371-287  13  subniti  with  the  ablative  (con- 
B.C.),  who  made  investigations  in  scientia)  =  'to  rely  on.'  14  'self- 
natural  science,  especially  botany,  reliance.'  15  'preeminence.' 


42 


AULUS  GELLIUS 


Cum  M.  Naevius  tribunus  plebis  accusaret  eum  ad 
populum  diceretque  accepisse  a  rege  Antiocho1  pecii- 
niam,  ut  condicionibus  gratiosis  et  mollibus  pax  cum  eo 
popull  Roman!  nomine  fieret  et  quaedam  item  alia2  cri- 

5  mini  daret  indlgna  tali  viro,  turn  Scipio  pauca  praefatus, 
quae  dignitas  vitae  suae  atque  gloria  postulabat,  "Memo- 
ria " 3  inquit  "  Quirites,  repeto,  diem  esse  hodiernum,4 
quo  Hannibalem  Poenum  imperio  vestro  inimlcissimum 
magno  proelio  vlcl  in  terra  Africa  pacemque  et  victoriam 

10  vobls  peperi  spectabilem.  Non5  igitur  simus  adversum 
deos  ingrati  et,  censeo,  relinquamus  nebulonem6  hunc, 
eamus  hinc  protinus7  lovi  Optimo  Maximo  gratulatum." 
Id  cum  dlxisset,  avertit  et  Ire  ad  Capitolium  coepit.  Turn 
contio 8  tini versa,  quae  ad  senteiitiam 9  de  Sclpione  feren- 

15  dam  convenerat,  relicto  tribuno  Sclpionem  in  Capitolium 
comitata  atque  inde  ad  aedes  eius  cum  laetitia  et  gratu- 
latione  sollemnl  prosecuta 10  est.  Fertur n  etiam  oratio, 
quae  videtur  habita  eo  die  a  Sclpione,  et  qui  dicunt  earn 
non  veram,  non  eunt  mfitias,12  quln  haec  quidem  verba 

20  fuerint,  quae  dlxi,  Sclpionis. 

Item  aliud  est  factum  eius  praeclarum.  Petllii  qul- 
dam  tribflni  plebis  a.  M.,  ut  aiunt,  Catone,  inimico  Selpi- 
onis,  comparatl 13  in  eum  atque  inmissl,  deslderabant  in 
senatu  Instantissime,14  ut  pectiniae  Antiochlnae  praedae- 


1  King  of  Syria,  with  whom  the 
Romans  waged  war  15)2-189  B.C.  Cf. 
below.  1. 23  f.  2  alia  .  .  .  daret='  was 
making  other  charges.'  Crimiul  is 
dative  of  purpose  with  daret;  cf. 
fib'.nl/ste  dono,  p.  22,  1.  8.  3  memo- 
ria  repeto :  '  it  keeps  running 
through  my  head.'  For  the  refer- 
ence, cf.  p.  41,  n.  11.  4  sc.  diem  = 
'  to-day.'  6  Here  and  in  three  other 
passages  Gellius  uses  non  with  the 
subjunctive  of  exhortation.  More 


careful  authors  write  n°.  6  '  vaga- 
bond, wretch.'  ~>  =  statim.  8  'as- 
sembly.' 9  sententiam  ferre  =  '  to 
vote,  pass  judgment.'  10  'escorted.' 
11  =  exstat.  12  infitias  ire  =  '  to 
deny '  occurs  six  or  seven  times  in 
Gellius.  It  is  always  coupled  with  a 
negative,  and  is  generally  followed 
by  quin  with  the  subjunctive.  13  com- 
parati . .  .  inmissi :  '  having  been  set 
upon  him  and  instigated.'  14  '  most 
urgently.' 


XOCTES   ATTICAE,   VI.    1  43 

que  in  eo  bello  captae  rationem l  redderet :  fuerat  enim 
L.  Scipioni  Asiatico,  fratrl  suo,  iruperatori  in  ea  provincia 
legatus.  Ibi  Scipio  exsurgit  et,  prolate  e  sinu2  togae 
libro,  rationes  in  eo  scriptas  esse  dixit  omnis  pecuniae 
omiiisque  praedae;  illatum,  ut  palam  recitaretur  et  ad  5 
aerarium3  deferretur.  "Sed  enim  id  iam  non  faciam" 
inquit  "nee  me  ipse  adficiam4  contumelia,"  eumque  librum 
statim  coram  discidit  suls  manibus  et  concerpsit,5  aegre 
passus,  quod  cul6  salus  imperil  ac  relpublicae  accepta 
ferri  deberet  rationem  pecuniae  praedatae  posceretur.  10 

VI.  1 

Id  etiam  dicere  haut  piget/  quod  idem  ill!,8  quos  supra 
nominavl,  lltteris  mandaverint,  Scipionem  hunc  Africa- 
nuin  solitavisse  noctis  9  extreme,  priusquam  dilucularet,10 
in  Capitolium  ventitare  u  ac  iubere  aperlri  cellam  B  lovis 
atque  ibi  solum  diu  demorari,  quasi  consultantem  de  repu-  15 
blica  cum  love,  aeditumosque K  eius  tempi!  saepe  esse 
dem!ratos,  quod  solum  id  temporis  in  Capitolium  ingre- 
dientem  u  canes  semper  in  alios  saevientes  neque  latrarent 
eum  neque  incurrerent. 

Has  volg!  de  Scipione  opiniones  conflrmare  atque  ap-  20 


1  rationem  reddere  is  a  mercan- 1  7  Sc.  me.  The  whole  phrase  = 
tile  phrase,  '  to  render  an  account.'  '  I  am  not  unvrilling  to.'  8  The  ref- 
-  sinu  togae  =  the  loose  folds  of  erence  is  to  certain  biographers  of 
the  toga,  which  sometimes,  as  here,  the  elder  Africanus.  9  noctis  ex- 
served  as  a  pocket.  3  '  treasury.'  tremo :  in  this  sense  extrema  nocte 

4  contumelia  adficere  =  '  to  insult.'  is  the  regular  formula  in  classical 
So    honore   adficere  =•   '  to   honor.'  Latin.    Cf.  p.  30,  n.  14.     10  Cf.  p.  35, 

5  from  concerpere  =  'to  tear.'    6  cul  n.  3.       "  Cf.  p.  33,  n.  7.      K  The 
.    .    .   deberet :    '  who  ought  to  he  apartment  in  which  the  statue  of 


credited  with  having  saved  the  state.' 
rein  fen-e  aliciti  acceptam  is  a  mer- 
cantile phrase,  which  =  '  to  set  a 
thing  down  to  one's  credit.' 


Jupiter  stood.  13  '  keepers.'  14  Join 
with  eum,  which  is  itself  accusative 
after  latrarent.  A  rare  construction, 
confined  to  poetry  and  late  prose. 


44  AULUS   GELLIUS 

probare  videbantur  dicta  factaque  eius  pleraque  admi- 
randa.  Ex  quibus  est  unum  huiuscemodi.  Assidebat 
oppugnabatque  oppidum  in  Hispania  situ,  moenibus,  de- 
fensoribus  validum  et  munitum,  re  etiam  cibaria  copio- 

5  sum,  nullaque  eius  potiundi  spes  erat,  et  quodam  die  itis 
in  castrls  sedens  dlcebat  atque  ex  eo  loco  id  oppidum 
procul  visebatur.  Turn  e1  militibus,  qui  in  iure2  apud 
eum  stabant,  interrogavit  quispiam  ex  more,  in  quern 
diem  locumque  vadimonium 3  promitti  iuberet :  et  Scipio 

10  manum  ad  ipsam  oppidl,  quod  obsidebatur,  arcem  pro- 
tendens,  "  Perendie  " 4  inquit  "  sese 5  sistant  illo  in  loco." 
Atque  ita  f actum :  die  tertio,  in  quern  vadarl 6  iusserat, 
oppidum  captum  est  eodemque  eo  die  in  arce  eius  oppidl 
ius  dlxit. 

IV.  20 

15  Notati '  a  censoribus,  qui  audientibus  iis  dlxerant  ioca  quaedam  intem- 
pestiviter;8  ac  de  eius  quoque  nota  deliberatum,  qui  steterat  forte 
apud  eos  Qscitabundus.9 

Inter  censorum 10  severitates  tria  haec  exempla  in  lltte- 

ris  sunt  castigatissimae  "  disciplmae.     Unum  est  huiusce- 

20  modi.    Censor  agebat 12  de  uxoribus  sollemne  msiurandum. 

Verba 13  erant  ita  concepta :   Vt  tu  ex 14  animl  tul  sententid 


1  Join  with  quispiam.    2<  court.' 
s  vadimonium  promittere  =  to  fur- 


Sc.  sunt:  'were  branded.'    Cf. 
nota,  1. 16,  and  p.  25,  n.  9.    8  '  unsea- 


nish  bail  as  security  for  one's  appear-    sonabl y.'   9  '  yawning.'  Cf.  p.  40,  n.  6. 
ance  in  court  to  stand  trial.    Hence!10   censorum     severitates:      'pun- 


the  question  in  ...  iuberet  =  '  when 
and  where  he  bade  (the  accused)  ap- 
pear for  trial.'  4  '  day  after  to-mor- 
row.' 5  sese  sistant  =  '  appear.'  In 
legal  language  sistere  is  often  used 


ishments  inflicted  by  the  censors.' 
11  '  strictest.'  12  =  exifjebat :  '  was 
administering.'  13  verba  concepta : 
'  the  formula.'  14  ex  animi  tul 
(mei)  sententia  =  '  on  your  (my) 


of  producing  some  one  in  court,  conscience  '  is  a  frequent  formula  in 
6  vadarl  is  used  of  the  judge  or  oaths.  Further  ut  .  .  .  habes  is  col- 
accuser,  who  causes  another  to  be  loquial  and  archaic  for  the  simple 


put  under  bail.  Supply  as  its  sub- 
ject here  cos,  representing  the  court 
officers. 


habes.  Hence  the  whole  question 
means  :  '  Tell  me,  on  your  con- 
science, have  you  a  wife? ' 


XOCTES   ATTIC AE,  IV.  20 


45 


nxorem  habes  ?  Qui  iurabat,  cavillator l  quidani  et  cani- 
cula2  et  niinis  rldicularius  fuit.  Is  locum  esse  sibi  iocl 
dlcundi  ratus,  cum  ita,  uti  mos  erat,  censor  dixisset  "  Ut 
tii  ex  animi  tui  sententia  nxorem  habes  ?  "  "  Habeo  equi- 
dem"  inquit  "uxorem,  sed  non  hercle  ex3  animi  mei  5 
sententia."  Turn  censor  emn,  quod  intern  pestive  lasci- 
visset,  in  aerarios 4  rettulit,  causarnque  hanc  iocl  scurrilis 
apud  se  diet!  subscripsit. 

Altera  severitas  eiusdem  sectae  dlsciplmaeque  est. 
Deliberatum  est  de  nota  eius,  qul  ad  censores  ab  amico  10 
advocatus  est  et  in  iure3  stans  clare  nimis  et  sonore 
oscitavit,  atque 6  inibi  ut  plecteretur  fuit,  tamquam  illud 
indicium  esset  vagi  animi  et  alucinantis7  et  fluxae8 
atque  apertae9  securitatis.  Sed  cum  ille  deiurasset  iu- 
vltissimum  sese  ac  repugnantem  oscitatione  victum  tene-  15 
rlque  eo  vitio,  quod  oscedo  appellatur,  turn  notae  iam 
destinatae  exemptus  est.  Publius  Sclpio  Af  ricanus,10  Paull 
fllius,  utramque  historiam  posuit  in  oratione,  quam  dixit 
in  censura,  cum  ad  maiorurn  mores  populum  hortaretur. 

Item  aliud  ref ert  Sabinus  Masurius  "  in  septimo  Memo-  20 
riali }-  severe  factum :  "  Censores  "  inquit  "  Publius  Sclpio 
is  aslca  et  Marcus  Popilius  cum  equitum  censum 13  agerent, 


1 '  jester.'  2  A  term  of  abuse.  Cf . 
Shakspere's  '  false  hound.'  3  ex  ... 
sententia  here  =  '  to  my  heart's  con- 
tent.' 4  citizens  of  the  lowest  class, 
who  paid  a  poll-tax  (aes) ,  but  had 
no  right  to  vote.  5  Cf.  p.  44,  n.  2. 
0  atque  .  .  .  plecteretur:  'was  on 
the  point  of  being  beaten.'  How 
literally?  For  another  use  of  atque 
inibi,  cf .  p.  26,  n.  1.  ~  =  aberrantis. 
Cf. '  hallucination.'  8  '  lax ; '  strictly. 
'  unstable  as  water.'  9  apertae  se- 
curitatis :  '  bare-faced  recklessness.' 
10  The  younger  Africanus  is  here 
meant.  He  was  by  birth  the  son  of 


L.  Aemilius  Pa  til  us,  who  defeated 
Perses,  king  of  Macedonia,  at  Pydna 
in  168  B.C.  He  was  adopted  by 
the  elder  son  of  Scipio  Africanus 
Maior.  n  A  distinguished  Eoman 
lawyer,  who  lived  in  the  first  century 
A.D.  12  sc.  libro.  This  work,  which 
seems  to  have  been  a  sort  of  history, 
is  elsewhere  cited  by  the  title  Me- 
morialia, '  Memoirs.'  13  '  were  taking 
the  census.'  On  such  occasions  the 
Knights,  each  leading  his  own 
horse,  passed  in  review  before  the 
tribunal  of  the  censors  in  the 
forum. 


46  AULUS  GELLIUS 

equum  nimis  strigosum l  et  male 2  habitum,  sed  equitem 
eius  uberrimum 3  et  habitissimum 4  vlderunt  et  i  Cur '  in- 
quiunt  '  ita  est,  ut  tu  sis  quam  equus  curatior  ? '  '  Quo- 
niam,' inquit,  'ego  me  euro,  equum  Statins  nihili5  servos.' 

5    Vlsum  est  parum  esse  reverens  responsum  relatusque  in 
aerarios,  ut  mos  est." 

Statius  autem  servile  nomen  f  uit.  Plerlque  apud  vete- 
re"s  servl  eo  nomine  fuerunt.  Caecilius6  quoque  ille7 
comoediarum  poeta  inclutus7  servus  fuit  et  propterea 

10  nomen  habuit  Statius.     Sed  postea  versum  est  quasi  in 
cognomentum,  appellatusque  est  Caecilius  Statius. 

IV.  12 

Notae  et  animadversiones 8  censoriae  in  veteribus  monumentis9  reper- 
tae  memoria  dignae. 

Si  quis  agrum  suum  passus  f  uerat  sordescere 10  eumque 

15  indlligenter  curabat  ac  neque  araverat  neque  purgaverat, 

slve  quis  arborem  suam  vlneamque  habuerat u  derelictui, 

non  id  sine  poena  fuit,  sed  erat  opus 12  censorium  censo- 

resque  aerarium  faciebant.     Item,  quis  eques  Komanus 

equum  habere   gracilentum 13  aut  parum  n4tidum  visus 

20  erat,  inpolUiae  u  notabatur ;  id  verbum  slgnificat,  quasi  tu 

dlcas  incur iae.     Cuius  rel  utrmsque  auctoritates  sunt  et 

M.  Cato  id  saepeuumero  adtestatus  est. 

1  'thin.'    -  male  habitum:   'ill  j  famous.'    This   meaning  of   ille  is 
kept,'   i.e.  lean,  skinny.      For    the    common  in  Gellius. 
synonyms  here,  as  below  in  uberri-          8  '  Punishments.'      9  sc.    littera- 
mum  et  habitissimum,  see  p.  16,    rum.    10  'to  run  wild.'    1]  derelictui 
n.   3.     3  '  very    fat.'     4  '  extremely    habere  =  neyleyere.    This  phrase  is 


well  conditioned.'  Plautus  describes 
a  certain  individual  as  corpulen- 
tior  atque  habitior.  5  'worthless.' 
Strictly,  nihili  is  the  genitive  of 
nihihim  =  nihil,  but  it  is  used  prac- 
tically as  an  indeclinable  adjective. 


the  opposite  of  cordi  haberc  =  '  to 
esteem.'  1-2  erat  opus  censorium: 
'  the  censors  took  cognizance  of  it.' 

13  'thin.'    Cf.  strigosum  above,  1.  1. 

14  '  lack  of  neatness '  (ct.polire).  The 
genitive  is  the  one  regularly  found 


6  Cf .  p.  21,  n.  21.    "  ille  and  inclutus    with  verbs  of  charging,  condemning, 
strengthen  each  other,  as  both  =  '  the  !  and  acquitting. 


NOCTES  ATTICAE,  X.  6  47 

VI.  22 

Quod  censores  equum  adimere  soliti  sunt  equitibus  corpulentis  et  prae- 
pinguibus ;  quaesitumque,  utruin  ea  res  cum  Iguomiiiia  an  incolumi 1 
dignitate  equitum  facta  sit. 

Nirnis  pingui  hominl  et  corpulento  censores  equum 
adimere  solitos  scilicet,2  minus  idoneum  ratos 3  esse  cum  5 
tantl  corporis  pondere  ad  faciendum  equitis  munus.  Non 
enim  poena  id  fuit,  ut  quldam  existimant,  sed  munus 
sine  Ignominia  remittebatur.  Tamen  Cato  in  oratione, 
quam  De 4  Sacrificid  Commisso  scripsit,  obicit 5  hanc  rem 
criminosius,6  uti  niagis  videri  possit  cum  Ignominia  fuisse.  10 
Quod  si  ita  accipias,  id  profecto  existimandum  est,  non 
omnlno  inculpatum 7  neque  indesidem 8  vlsuni 9  esse,  cuius 
corpus  in  tam  inmodicum  rnodum  luxuriasset  exuberas- 
setque. 

X.  6 

Multam  10  dictam  esse  ab  aedilibus  plebei  Appi  Caecl n  filiae,  mulieri   15 
uobili,  quod  locuta  esset  petulantius. 

Non  in  facta  modo,  sed  in 12  voces  etiam  petulantiores 
pilblice  vindicatum  est;  ita  enini   debere  esse  visa  est 
Eomanae   dlsciplmae   dlgnitas   inviolabilis.     Appi  nam- 
que   illlus   Caecl  fllia,  a  ludls  quos   spectaverat  exiens,  20 
turba  undique  confluentis  fluctuantisque  popull  iactata 13 

1  'intact.'  Translate:  '  whether  |  the  sacrifice.'  5  obi  cere  often  = 
the  doing  of  this  involved  disgrace  j  'to  cast  in  one's  teeth.'  6  'taunt- 
to  the  knights  or  left  their  dignity  j  ingly.'  7  '  undeserving  of  blame.' 
unimpaired.'  For  the  occasion  which  j  8  '  inactive.'  9  Sc.  eum  or  ilium  as 
Gellius  has  in  mind,  cf.  p.  45,  n.  '  subject  of  vlsum  esse. 
13.  2  scilicet  has  here  its  fullest  I  10  Cf.  p.  33,  n.  11.  Multam 
force,  that  is,  it  =  scire  licet,  '  be  it  dicere  =  ' to  pronounce  a  fine.'  u  Ap- 
known  unto  you,'  and  the  infinitive  pius  Claudius  Caecus,  censor  in  312 
solitos  (esse)  depends  upon  it.  This  B.C.,  and  builder  in  the  same  year 
construction  is  archaic.  3  =  cum  \  of  the  famous  Appian  Way.  12  vin- 
('  since ')  ratieasent.  *  De  Sacrificio  dicare  in  ='  to  punish.'  18  'jostled, 
Cominisso:  '  On  the  performance  of  knocked  about.' 


48 


AL'LUS   GELLIUS 


est.  Atque  hide  egressa,  cum  se  male  habitam 1  diceret, 
"  Quid 2  me  mine  f actuin  esset "  inquit  "  quantoque  artius 
pressiusque  confllctata  essem,  si  P.  Claudius,  frater  meus, 
navall3  proelio  classem  navium  cum  ingenti  civium  nu- 

5  mero  non  perdidisset  ?  Certe  quidem  maiore  nunc  copia 
popull  oppressa  intercidissem.4  Sed  utinam "  inquit 
"  revivlscat  frater  aliamque  classem  in  Sicilian!  ducat 
atque  istam  multitudinem  perditum 5  eat,  quae  me  nunc 
male  miseram  convexavit!6"  Ob  haec  mulieris  verba 

10  tam  inproba  ac  tain  incivllia  C.  Ftmdanius  et  Tiberius 
Sempronius,  aedlles  plebel,7  inultam  dixerunt  el  aeris8 
gravis  viginti  qulnque  in  Ilia.  Id  factum  esse  dlcit  Capito 
Ateius9in  commentario  De 10  liicliciis  Piiblicls  bello  Poe- 
nico  primo,  Fabio  Licino  et  Otacilio  Crasso  consulibus. 

V.  2 

15  Super  equo  Alexandr!  regis,  qui  Bucephalus  n  appellatus  est. 

Equus   Alexandii  regis  et  capite12  et  nomine12  Buce- 
phalas  f uit.     Emptum  Chares 13  scrlpsit  talentis  u  trede- 


1  'ill treated.'  2  Quid  .  .  .  esset: 
'  what  would  have  become  of  me  ?  ' 
In  such  phrases  the  ablative  (me)  is 
generally  regarded  as  instrumental ; 
it  may,  however,  be  viewed  as  one 
of  specification.  3  Off  Drepanum, 
in  Sicily,  in  249  B.C.  He  lost  ninety- 
three  out  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
three  ships.  4  =  mortuus  essem. 
6  Supine  of  perdere.  Join  with  eat. 
6  =  violenter  iactavit.  '  In  245  B.C., 
when  the  defeat  at  Drepanum  was 
still  fresh  in  the  public  mind.  s  aeris 
gravis  is  '  money  of  the  oldest  stand- 
ard,' according  to  which  the  as  was  a 
full  pound  of  copper.  Again,  Gel- 
Hus  often  uses  aeris  (from  aes), 
where  one  would  expect  assiu»i  (gen. 
plur.  of  as).  Hence  the  whole  means 
that  Claudia  was  fined  twenty-five 


thousand  asses,  old  standard.  In 
its  latest  form  the  as  contained  only 
one  twenty-fourth  of  a  pound  of 
copper.  9  A  celebrated  j  urist,  teacher 
of  Masurius  Sabinus  (p.  45,  n.  11). 
10  '  On  state  trials.'  Under  the 
term  publica  indicia  were  included 
all  trials  involving  matters  that 
affected  the  welfare  of  the  state. 

11  '  Ox-head  ; '  from  0oOs,  '  ox,' 
and  Ke^aXij,  '  head.'  This  famous 
horse  of  Alexander  the  Great  is  often 
mentioned  by  Greek  and  Latin 
writers.  12  Ablatives  of  specifica- 
tion with  fuit.  Render:  'in  fact  as 
in  name.'  w  A  native  of  Mitylene, 
and  court-marshal  of  Alexander. 
His  history  of  Alexander  treated 
with  fulness  and  accuracy  of  the 
king's  domestic  life.  H  The  talen~ 


XOCTES   ATTICA  E,  V.  3 


49 


cim  et  regi  Philippe l  donatum ;  hoc  autem  aeris  nostrl 
summa  est  sestertia 2  trecenta  duodecim.  Super  hoc  equo 
dignum  memoria  visum,  quod,  ubi  ornatus  erat  armatus- 
que  ad  proelimn,  haud  umquain  inscendi  sese  ab  alio, 
nisi  ab  re"ge,  passus  sit.  Id  etiam  de  isto  equo  memora-  5 
turn  est,  quod,  cum  insidens  in  eo  Alexander  bello  Indico 
et  facinora  faciens  fortia,  in  hostium  cuneum3  non  satis 
sibi  providens  inmlsisset,  coniectlsque  undique  in  Alexan- 
drum  tells  vulneribus  altis  in  cervice  atque  in  latere 
equus  perfossus 4  esset,  moribundus 5  tamen  ac  prope  iam  10 
exsanguis  e  medils  hostibus  regem  vivacissimo6  cursu 
retulit  atque,  ubi  eum  extra  tela  extulerat,  ilico  concidit 7 
et,  dominl8  iam  superstitis  securus,  quasi  cum  sensus 
humani  solacio  animam9  exspiravit.  Turn  rex  Alex- 
ander, parta  eius  belli  victoria,  oppidum  in  Isdem  locis  15 
condidit  idque  ob 10  equl  honores  Bucephalon  appellavit. 


V.  3 

Quae  causa  quodque  initium  fuisse  dieatur  Protagorae  u  ad  philoso- 
phiae  12  litteras  adeundi. 

Protagoram,  virum  in  studils 13  doctrinarum  egregium, 
cuius  nomen  Plato 14  libro 15  suo  ill!  incluto  Inscripsit,  adule-  20 


trim  was  not  a  coin,  but  a  certain 
weight  of  silver  (less  often  of  gold). 
It  was  a  Greek  measure.  The  value 
of  the  silver  talent,  which  is  meant 
here,  was  about  $1000. 

1  King  of  Macedon  359-336  B.C., 
and  father  of  Alexander.  -  sestertia 
is  from  the  nominative  sestertium, 
wh\ch  =  mi(le  sestertii.  The  sestertius 
was  a  Roman  silver  coin,  worth 
about  four  cents.  3 '  wedge,' '  column.' 
4  '  pierced ; '  from  perfodio.  5  '  dy- 
ing.' 6  =  velocissimo.  "  '  fell  dead 
on  the  spot  (flico).'  8  dominl .  .  . 
securus  :  '  assured  of  his  master's 
AI:L.  GEL.  — 4 


safety.'  The  genitive  with  securus 
belongs  to  poetry  and  post-Augustan 
prose.  9  Cf.  p.  39,  n.  13.  10  ob  equi 
honores  =  ut  equum  honoraret. 

"  P.  lived  about  480-410  B.C. 
12  philosophiae  .  .  .  adeundi :  '  of 
entering  on  the  scientific  study  of 
philosophy.'  13  studiis  doctrinarum 
=  '  learned  studies.'  14  Plato,  the 
celebrated  Athenian  philosopher 
(427-347  B.C.),  wrote  a  dialogue  en- 
titled Protagoras,  whose  central 
theme  is,  7s  virtiie  teachable? 
15  The  dative  is  due  to  the  prefix  of 
Inscrlpsit. 


50 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


scentem  aiunt  vlctus  quaerendi  gratia  in  mercedem l  mis- 
sum  vecturasque2  onerum  corpora  suo  factitavisse,  quod 
genus3  Grace!  dx^o^dpous  vocant,  Latlne  buiulds*  appella- 
mus.  Is  de  proximo  rure  Abdera5  in  oppidum,  cuius 

5  popularis  fuit,  caudices6  llgni  plurimos  funiculo7  brevi 
circumdatos  portabat.  Turn  forte  Democritus,8  clvitatis 
eiusdem  clvis,  homo  ante  alios  virtiltis  et  philosophiae 
gratia  venerandus,  cum  egrederetur  extra  urbem,  videt 
eum  cum  illo  genere  oneris  tarn  impedlto  ac  tain  incohi- 

10  bill9  facile  atque  expedite  incedentem  et  prope  accedit 
et  iuncturam  posituramque  llgni  sclte  perlteque  factam 
considerat  petitque,  ut  paululum  adquiescat.10  Quod  ubi 
Protagoras,  ut  erat  petition,  fecit  atque  itidem  Demo- 
critus acervum  ilium  et  quasi  orbem  caudicum  brevi 

15  vinculo  comprehensum  ratione  quadam  quasi  geometrica 
librarl11  contineiique  animadvertit,  interrogavit  quis  id 
lignum  ita  composuisset,  et,  cum  ille  a  se  compositum 
dlxisset,  deslderavit  utl  solveret  ac  denuo  in  modum 
eundem  collocaret.  At  postquam  ille  solvdt  ac  similiter 

20  composuit,  turn  Democritus,  auiiui  aciem 12  sollertiam- 
que13  homiiiis  non14  doctl  demiratus,  U3H  adulescens," 
inquit  "  cum  ingenium  bene  faciendi  habeas,  sunt  maiora 
melioraque  quae  facere  mecum  possis,"  abduxitque  eum 
statim  secumque  habuit  et  sumptum 15  ministravit  et  phi- 

25  losophias  docuit  et  esse  eum  fecit,  quantus 16  postea  fuit. 


1  i.e.  'was  hired  out.'  A  hired 
•workman  was  called  a  mercenna- 
riits.  2  vecturS.8  .  .  .  factitavisse  = 
onera  corpore  suo  vexisse,  8  so. 
hominum.  4' porters.'  5  A  town  on 
the  southern  coast  of  Thrace,  whose 
inhabitants  were  proverbially  stupid. 
Yet  three  distinguished  philosophers 
were  born  there,  —  Democritus,  Pro- 
tagoras, and  Anaxarchus.  6  '  sticks.' 
7  '  rope.'  8  Democritus  (about  4(iO- 
360  B.C.  )  is  famous  as  the  author 


of  the  Atomic  Theory,  or  the  doc- 
trine that  the  universe  is  formed  of 
atoms.  9 '  unwieldy.'  10  '  rest.'  n  '  bal- 
anced.' 12  'acuteness.'  13  'skill.' 
H  non  docti=(?N i  »on  doctus  erat,  i.e. 
who  had  never  any  '  schooling.'  15  i.e. 
'supplied  him  with  money.'  16  P. 
taught  for  many  years  at  Athens, 
until  expelled  for  certain  atheistical 
opinions  expressed  by  him  in  a 
work  entitled  Ilepi  Qewv  (=  De 
Dis). 


NOCTES  ATTICAE,   V.    10  51 

V.   10 

I)e  arguments,  quae  Graece  ivrur-rpf^ovra. l  appellantur,  a  nobls  reci- 
proca  l  did  possunt. 

Inter  vitia2  argumentorum  longe  maximum  esse  vitium 
videtur,  quae3  avTio-Tpe^oi/ra  Graeci  dicunt.     Ea  quldam 
e  nostris  non  hercle  nimis  absurde  recfproca  appellave-    5 
runt.     Id  autem  vitium  accidit  hoc  modo,  cum  argumen- 
tum  proposition  referri  contra  convertique  in  eum  potest, 
a  quo  dictum  est,  et  utrimque  pariter  valet;   quale  est 
pervolgatum 4  illud,  quo  Protagoram,  Sophistarum 5  acer- 
rimum,  usum  esse  ferunt  adversus  Euathlum,  discipuluin  10 
suum. 

Lis6  namque  inter  eos  et  controversia  super  pacta7 
mercede  haec  fuit.  Euathlus,  adulescens  dives,  eloquen- 
tiae  discendae  causarumque 8  orandi  cupiens  fuit.  Is  in 
dlsciplmam  Protagorae a  sese  dedit  daturumque  promisit  15 
mercedem  grandem  pecuniam,  quantam  Protagoras  peti- 
verat,  diniidiumque  eius  dedit  iam  tune  statim  pritis- 
quani  dlsceret,  pepigitque  ut  reliquum  dimidium  daret, 
quo  prlmo  die  causam  apud  iudices  orasset  et  vicisset. 
Postea  cum  diutule 10  auditor  adsectatorque  u  Protagorae  20 
fuisset  et  in  studio  quidem  facundiae  abunde  promovis- 
set,  causas  tamen  nou  reciperet  tempusque  iam  longum 

1  Arguments  that  '  turn   back,'  ]  Cf.  pepigit,  1.  18.    8  By  an  arcbaic 

i.e.  recoil  upon  bim  who   advances  construction   the  gen.  causarum  is 

them.    Eeciproca    argumenta    are  dei^endent  on   the    genitive   of    the 

arguments  that  can  be  urged  with  gerund  orandi.  which  is  treated  as 

equal  effect  on  both  sides  of  a  given  fully   substantival.     Causarum  .  .  . 

case.    Cf.ll.t!-8.    2 '  fallacies.'    3  sc.  fuit  =  causa.*    orare    cupiit.     9  If 

eorum     as     antecedent     of     quae.  Protagorae   be  taken   with   dedit, 

4  '  well-known.'      5  A  class  of  phi-  in  disciplinam  must  be  regarded  as 

losophers  who  traveled   from  place  expressing  purpose :  '  to  be  trained 

to  place  in  Greece  and  Sicily.    They  by  him.'    It  is  possible  also  to  con- 
were    the  first  to  exact  a  fee   for  '  strue  in  disciplinam  directly  with 

imparting  knowledge,  and  incurred  dedit,  in  which  case  Protagorae  is 

great  odium  by  so  doing.    6  '  law-  genitive.    lft  diminutive  of  diu  =  '  a 

suit.'     "  from  pan  gere :  'stipulated.'  while.'     n  'pupil.'  . 


52 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


transcurreret  et  facere  id  videretur,  ne  relicum1  merce- 
dis  daret,  capit  consilium  Protagoras,  ut  turn  existimabat, 
astutum:  petere  mstitit  ex  pacto  niercedem,  litem  cum 
Euathlo  contestatur. 

5  Et  cum  ad  indices  coniciendae2  consistendaeque 3 
causae  gratia  venissent,  turn  Protagoras  sic  exorsus  est : 
"  Disce,"  inquit  "  stultissime  adulescens,  utroque  id 4 
modo  fore,  uti  reddas  quod  peto,  sive  contra  te  pronun- 
tiatum  erit  sive  pro  te.  Nam,  si  contra  te  lis  data  erit, 

10  merces  mihi  ex  senteiitia  debebitur,  quia  ego  vicero,  sin 
vero  secundum5  te  iudicatum  erit,  merces  mihi  ex  pacto 
debebitur,  quia  tu  viceris." 

Ad   ea   respondit   Euathlus :    "  Potui "    inquit    "  hulc 
tuae  tarn  ancipit!6  caption!7  isse8  obviam,  si9  verba  non 

15  ipse  facerem  atque  alio  patrono  uterer.  Sed  mains  mihi 
in  ista  victoria  prolubium 10  est,  cum  te  non  in  causa  tan- 
turn,  sed  in  arguments  quoque  isto  vinco.  Dlsce  igitur 
tu  quoque,  magister  sapientissime,  utroque  modo  fore, 
utl  non  reddam  quod  petis,  sive  contra  me  pronuntiatum 

20  fuerit  sive  pro  me.  Nam,  si  iudices  pro  causa  mea  sense- 
rint,  nihil  tibi  ex  sententia  debebitur,  quia  ego  vicero; 
sin  contra  me  pronuntiaverint,  nihil  tibi  ex  pacto  debebo, 
quia  non  vicero." 

Turn  iudices  dubiosum  hoc  inexplicabileque  esse,  quod 

25  utrimque  dlcebatur,  rati,  ne  sententia  sua  utramcumque  in 
partem  dic-ta  esset  ipsa  sese  rescinderet,11  rein  iniudica- 


1  =  reliquam  m»rcedcm.  Cf.  p. 
30,  n.  14,  and  p.  43,  n.  9.  2  'state, 
argue.'  This  meaning  is  rare  and 
confined  to  legal  formulas.  8  'de- 
cide.' 4  id  fore  =  '  this  will  be  the 
result.'  Id  is  explained  by  utl .  .  . 
peto,  while  utroque  modo  is  ex- 
plained by  the  sive  .  .  .  sive  clauses. 
6  =  pro :  'in  your  favor.'  Cf.  note 
on  secundum  hanc  senteiitiuin,  p. 


20,  1.  13.  6  'subtle.'  7  'quibble.' 
8  isse  obviam  =  'to  meet,'  i.e. 
defeat.  9  si  ...  iiterer :  '  without 
saying  a  word  myself  and  by 
(merely)  engaging  some  one  else  as 
my  counsel.'  in  =  gaudium.  n  re- 
scindere  is  especially  used  of 
repealing  or  annulling  laws  and 
decisions.  Translate:  'be  self-con- 
tradictory.' 


XOCTES   ATTICAE,  V.  9 


53 


tarn  reliquerunt  causamque  in  diem  longissimam  distule- 
runt.1  Sic  ab  adulescente  discipulo  magister  eloquentiae 
inelutus  suo 2  sibi  arguments  confutatus  est  et  captionis 
versute 3  excogitatae  f  rustratus 4  f uit. 


V.  9 

Historia  de  Croesi5  filio  muto  ex  Herodoti6  libris.  5 

Filius  Croesi  regis,  cum  iam  far!  per  aetatem.7  posset, 
Infans 8  erat  et,  cum  iain  uiultum  adolevisset,  item  nihil 
far!  quibat.  Mutus  adeo  et  elinguis8  diu  habitus  est. 
Cum  in  patrem  eius,  bello  magno  victum  et  urbe 9  in  qua 
erat  capta,  hostis  gladio  deducto,  regem  esse  ignorans,  10 
invaderet,  diduxit10  adulescens  6s,  clamare  mtens,  eoque 
nisu  atque  impetu  spiritus  vitimn  nodumque  linguae 
rupit  planeque  et  articulate  elocutus  est,  clamans  in  hos- 
tem,  ne  rex  Croesus  occideretur.  Turn  et  hostis  gladium 
reduxit  et  rex  vita  donatus  est  et  adulescens  loqui  pror-  15 
sum11  deinceps  incepit.  Herodotus  in  Historiis  huius 
memoriae  scriptor  est  eiusque  verba  sunt,  quae  prlma 
dixisse  fllium  Croesi  refert :  "Av^wrre,  ^  KTCIVC  Kpolaov.12 

Sed   et  quispiam   Samius   athleta,  —  nomen   illi   fuit 


1  '  postponed.'  2  suus  sibi,  a 
strengthened  form  of  suns,  is  fre- 
quent in  early  and  in  late  Latin, 
and  is  found  occasionally  in  Cicero. 
3  'subtly.'  4  from  frustrare,  which 
is  less  common  than  the  deponent 
form  frustrari.  The  genitive  capti- 
onis with  frustratus  is  noteworthy. 
This  story  is  told  also  of  Korax,  a 
Syracusan  rhetorician,  and  his  pupil 
Tisias.  On  this  occasion  the  judges 
dismissed  the  case  with  the  com- 
ment, "  Bad  crow,  bad  eggs."  (The 
Greek  word  K6pa%  =  '  crow.') 

5  King  of  Lydia  from  560  B.C. 
till  conquered  by  Cyrus  the  Great 


of  Persia  in  54fi.  6  Herodotus  of 
Halicarnassus,  a  Greek  city  in  Caria, 
the  "Father  of  History,"  lived 
about  480-425  B.C.  7  per  aetatem: 
'so  far  as  his  age  was  concerned." 
Per  is  here  partly  instrumental  (cf . 
p.  3!),  n.  10),  partly  causal  in  mean- 
ing. Cf.  xii.  7.  7,  per  leges  non 
licuit.  8 '  tongue-tied.'  How  liter- 
ally ?  9  Sardis,  the  capital  of  Lydia. 
10  'stretched  open."  n  prorsum 
deinceps :  '  straight  on  from  that 
time.'  Cf.  p.  54, 1.  7,  per  omne  inde 
vilae  tempus.  12  The  Greek  words 
=  Croesum,  homo,  ne  occideris.  Cf. 
ne  . .  .  occideretur,  1.  14. 


54 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


s,  —  cum  antea  non  loquSns1  fuisset,  ob  similem 
dicitur  causam  loqui  coepisse.  Nam  cum  in  sacro  certa- 
mine  sortitio  inter  ipsos2  et  adversaries  non  bona  fide" 
fieret  et  sortem3  nominis  falsam  subici4  animadvertis- 
5  set,  repente  in  eum,  qui  id  faciebat,  videre  sese,  quid 
faceret,  magnum  inclamavit.  Atque  is  oris  vinclo  solu- 
tus  per5  omne  inde  vltae  tempus  non  turbide  neque 
adhaese6  locutus  est. 

V.  14 

Quod  Apion,7  doctus  homo,  qui  Plistonices8  appellatus  est,  vidisse  se 
10          Romae  scripsit  recognitionem  inter  sese  mutuam  ex9  vetere  notitia 

IK  in  i  i  11  is  et  leonis. 

Apion,  qui  Plistonices  appellatus  est,  litteris  10  homo 
multis  praeditus  rerumque  Graecarum  plurima  atque 
varia  scientia11  fuit.  Eius  librl  non  incelebres12  fernn- 
15  tur,13  quibus  omnium  ferine,  quae  mirifica  in  Aegypto 
visuntur  audiunturque,  historia  comprehenditur.  Sed  in 
his,  quae  vel  audlsse  vel  legisse  sese  dicit,  fortassean14 
vitio15  studioque  ostentationis  sit  loqxiacior  —  est  enim 
sane 16  quam  in  praedicandis  doctrinls  sui 17  venditator,  — 


1  loquens  fuisset  =  locutus  esset. 
2  =  Samios.  3  The  sors,  '  lot,'  was 
a  bit  of  wood  or  other  material  on 
which  the  names  of  the  contestants 
were  written.  4  '  substituted."  The 
meaning  is  that  a  name  which  had 
not  been  drawn  was  substituted  for 
one  which  had  been  drawn.  5  per 
.  .  .  tempus  =  prorsum  deinceps, 
p.5'>,  11.15, 16.  6'stammeringly.'  Con- 
trast plane  et  articulate,  p.  53, 1. 13. 

7  A  Greek  born  in  Egypt,  who 
gained  distinction  at  Rome  as  a 
teacher  of  grammar  and  rhetoric 
during  the  reigns  of  Tiberius  and 
Claudius.  8  (from  Tr\e?(TTos,  '  very 
many,'  and  vlxri,  '  victory ')  '  man  of 


many  victories.'  The  title  is  a 
tribute  to  Apion's  ability.  9  causal 
=  'in  consequence  of.'  10  litteris 
.  .  .  praeditus  ='  a  man  who  pos- 
sessed a  wide  acquaintance  with 
literature.'  ll  ablative  of  charac- 
teristic with  fuit.  12  '  unknown.' 
13  'are  current.'  The  books  which 
Gellius  has  in  mind  were  called 
Aegyptiaca.  H  fortassean  =  for- 
tasse ;  an  archaic  word.  15  vitio  .  .  . 
ostentationis :  '  through  his  love  of 
display,  which  amounts  to  a  weak- 
ness.' How  literally  ?  16  sane  quam: 
'  most  assuredly.'  l"  '  a  seller  (ped- 
dler) of  himself,'  i.e.  he  was  fond  of 
'  blowing  his  own  trumpet.'  In  allu- 


NOCTES  ATTICAE,  V.  14  55 

hoc  autem,  quod  in  libr<3  Aegyptiacorum  qumto  scripsit, 
neque  audisse  neque  legisse,  sed  ipsum  sese  rn  urbe 
Roma  vidisse  oculis  suis  confirmat. 

"  In  Circo l  Maximo  "  inquit  "  venationis 2  amplissimae 
pugna   populo    dabatur.      Eius    rel,   Eomae    cum    forte    5 
essem,   spectator"   inquit   "fui.     Multae   ibi   saevientes 
ferae,  magnitudines3  bestiarum   excellentes   omniumque 
invisitata  aut  forma  erat  aut  ferocia.     Sed  praeter 4  alia 
oninia  leonum"   inquit   "immanitas5   admiration!6  fuit 
praeterque4  omnis   ceteros   unus.     Is  unus  leo  corporis  10 
impetu   et  vastitudine    terrificoque    fremitu   et   sonoro, 
toris7  comisque  cervicum  fluctuantibus,  animos  oculosque 
omnium  in  sese  converterat.     Introductus  erat  inter  com- 
pluris   ceteros  ad  pugnam   bestiarum  datus   servus  viri 
consularis ;   el  servo  Androclus   nomen  fuit.     Hunc  ille  15 
leo  ubi  vlclit  procul,  repente"  inquit  "quasi  admirans 
stetit  ac  deinde  sensim  atque  placide,  tamquam  noscita- 
bundus,8  ad  hominem  accedit.     Turn  caudam  more  atque 
ritu  adulantium  canum  clementer  et  blande  movet  homi- 
nisque  se 9  corpori  adiungit  cruraque  eius  et  mantis,  prope  20 
iam   exanimati  metu,  lingua  leniter   demulcet.'0    Homo 
Androclus  inter  ilia  tarn  atrocis  ferae  blandimenta  amis- 
sum  animum  recuperat,  paulatim  oculos  ad  contuendum 

sion  to  Apion's  conceit,  the  emperor  !  3  magnitudines    .   .   .  excellentes: 


Tiberius,  used  to  call  him  cymbalum 


1  For  a  good  description  of  a  Ro- 
man circus,  see  Lew  Wallace's  Ben 
Hur,  Book  V,  chapter  XII.  2  vena- 
t'o  is  a  technical  term  of  the  arena, 
denoting  the  contests  of  beasts  with 


'  beasts  of  preeminent  size.'  Cf.  p. 56, 
1.  12,  camporum  et  arenarum  soli- 
tudines ;  also  p.  16,  n.  16.  4  praeter 
here  = 'beyond,' and  serves  to  ex- 
press a  comparison.  5  '  size,'  espe- 
cially size  which  inspires  terror. 
6  a  predicate  dative  =  a  predicate 


one  another  or  with  human  beings,  j  adjective,    admirabilis.    '  'brawn.' 
As  a  commentary  on  amplissimae    Properly,   torus  =  a  bunch  of   any 


we    may    recall    the  story  told  by 
Suetonius  that  at  the  formal  open- 


sort,  as  a  knot  on  a  rope,  a  tree,  or 
vine ;  here  it  is  used  of  the  swelling 


ing  of  the   Coliseum  five  thousand  '  muscles.     8  '  recognizing.'    9  se  ad- 
beasts  were  slain  in  a  single  day.    iungit:  ' rubs  against.'     10  'licks.' 


56  AULUS  GELLIUS 

leonem  refert.  Turn  quasi  mutua  recognitione  facta 
laetos  "  inquit  "  et  gratulabundos  videres  l  hominem  et 
leonem." 

Ea  re  prorsus  tarn  admirabili  maximos  populi  clamo- 

5  res  excitatos  dicit,2  accersltumque 3  a  C.  Caesare  Andro- 
clum  quaesltamque  causam,  cur  ill!  atrocissiinus  leo  tin! 
parsisset.4  Ibi  Androclus  rem  mirificam  narrat  atque 
admirandam.  "  Cum  provinciam  "  inquit  "  Africam  pro- 
consular! imperio  meus  dominus  obtineret,  ego  ibi  ini- 

10  quis  eius  et  cotldianls  verberibus 5  ad  f ugam  sum  coactus 
et,  ut  mihi  a  domino,  terrae  illlus  praeside,  tiitiores  late- 
brae  6  f orent,  in  camporum 7  et  arenarum  solitudines  con- 
cessl  ac,  si  defuisset  cibus,  consilium  fuit  mortem  aliquo 
pacto  quaerere.  Turn  sole8  medio"  inquit  "rabido  et 

15  flagrant!  specum 9  quandam  nanctus 10  remotam  latebro- 
samque,11  in  earn  me 12  penetro  et  recondo.  Neque  multo 
post  ad  eandem  specum  venit  h!c  leo,  debili  uno  et 
cruento  pede,  gemitus  edens  et  murmura,  dolorem  crucia- 
tumque  vulneris  commiserantia.13"  Atque  illlc  prime 

20  quidem  conspectu  adveuientis  leonis  territum  sibi  et 
pavefactum  animum  dlxit.  "  Sed  postquam  introgres- 
sus  "  inquit  "  leo,  ut! 14  re  ipsa  apparuit,  in  habitaculum 
illud  suum,  videt  me  procul  delitescentem,15  mitis  et 
mansues 18  accessit  et  sublatum  pedem  ostendere  mihi  et 

25  porgere I7  quasi  opis  petendae  gratia  visus  est.  Ibi " 
inquit  "  ego  stirpem  ingentem,  vestigio 18  pedis  eius  hae- 


1  '  one  might  have  seen.'  2  Sc. 
Apion.  3<  summoned.'  In  Caesare 
the  reference  is  to  the  reigning 
emperor,  probably  Claudius.  4  from 
parco.  5 '  beatings.'  6 '  hiding-place. ' 
"  Cf.  p.  55,  n.  3.  s  In  sole  .  .  . 
flagrant!  there  is  a  mixture  of 
ideas.  With  media,  sole  =  die;  with 
rabido  et  flugranti,  it  has  its  proper 


nanciscor)  '  having  happened  upon.' 
11  '  screened  from  observation.'  Cf. 
latebrae,  1.  12.  12  me  penetro  = 
penetro,  an  archaic  construction. 
!3  '  evincing ';  literally,  'pitying.' 
Gellius  is  fond  of  strong  metaphor?. 

14  Join   with    habitaculum    suum. 

15  'seeking  to  hide.'     16  archaic  for 
mansuetus,  '  tame.'    17  =  porriya-c, 


sense  of  ' sun.'     9  '  cave.'     10  (from  i  'stretch  out.'     i8<soie.' 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  V.  14  57 

rentem,  revelll  conceptamque 1  saniem  volnere  intimo 
express!  accuratiusque  sine  magna  iam  formidine  siccavi 
penitus  atque  deters!  cruorem.  Ilia  tune  mea  opera  et 
medella  levatus,  pede  in  manibus  meis  posito,  recubuit 
et  quievit  atque  ex  eo  die  triennium  totum  ego  et  leo  in  5 
eadem  specu  eodemque  et2  victu  viximus.  Nam,  quas 
veuabatur  feras,  membra  oplmiora  ad3  specurn  mihi  sub- 
gerebat,  quae  ego,  ignis  copiam  non  habens,  rnerldiano 
sole  torrens  edebam.  Sed  ubi  me4"  inquit  "vltae  illius 
fermae  iam  pertaesum  est,  leoue  in  venatum  profecto,  10 
reliqui  specum  et  viam  ferme  tridui  permensus  a  militi- 
bus  visus  adprehensusque  sum  et  ad  dominum  ex  Africa 
Romam  deductus.  Is  me  statim  rel  capitalis5  damnan- 
dum  dandumque  ad  bestias  euravit.  Intellego  autem " 
inquit  "  hunc  quoque  leonem,  me  tune  separate  capturn,  15 
gratiani 6  mihi  nunc  beneficii 7  et  medicmae 7  ref erre." 

Haec  Apion  dixisse  Androclum  tradit,  eaque  omnia 
scrlpta  circumlataque  tabula  populo  declarata,  atque  ideo 
cunctis  petentibus  dimissnm  Androclum  et  poena  solutum 
leonemque  el  suffragiis 8  populi  donatum.  "  Postea  "  inquit  20 
"  videbamus  Androclum  et  leonem,  loro 9  tenui  revinctum, 
urbe  tota  circum  tabernas10  ire,  donari  aere  Androclum, 
floribus  spargi  leonem.  omnes  ubique  n  obvios  dicere :  Hie 
est  led  hospes™  hominis,  hie  est  homo  medicus  leonis." 

1  'clotted.'  CVwor  =  'running  6  gratiam  referre  =  'to  thank.' 
blood ' ;  sanies  =  '  blood  clotted  in  "  The  genitives  qualify  gratiam. 
the  wound.'  Hence  conceptam  is 'Render:  'thanks  for  the  kindness 
really  unnecessary.  2  '  even.'  3  ad  I  had  done  him  by  curing  his 
.  .  .  subgerebat:  'brought  to  the  wound.'  8' votes.'  9  Cf.  p.  33, 
cave  and  heaped  up.'  4  me  .  .  .  per-  n.  5.  10  'shops.'  Here  perhaps  the 
taesum  est :  '  I  became  heartily  sick  reference  is  especially  to  wine- 
of  this  wild  life.'  5  A  res  capituiis  is  shops,  which  were  common  fea- 
a  matter  or  charge  which  affects  the  tures  of  Roman  streets,  if  we  may 
caput,  i.e.  the  civil  status,  or,  as  j  judge  from  the  ruins  of  Pompeii, 
here,  the  life  of  an  individual.  For  j  ll  ubique  obvios  =  qui  tibiqiie 
the  genitive  cf.  inpolitiae  notaba-  eis  ubrii  t-en^runt.  u  =  ami- 
tur,  p.  46,  1.  20,  and  the  note  there.  CM.S. 


58 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


VI.  5 

Historia  de  Polo  histrione  *  memoratu  digna. 

Histrio  in  terra  Graecia  fuit  fama  celebri,  qui  ge- 
stus 2  et  vocis  claritiidine  et  venustate  ceteris  antistabat  — 
nomen  fuisse  aiunt  Polum — tragoedias  poetarum  nobilium 

5  sclte  atque  asseverate3  actitavit.  Is  Polus  unice  ama- 
tum  filium  morte  amisit.  Eum  luctum  quoniam  satis 
visus  est  eluxisse,  rediit  ad  quaestum  artis. 

In  eo  tempore  Athenis  Electram  Sophoclis4  acturus 
gestare  urnam  quasi5  cum  Oresti  ossibus  debebat.  Ita 

10  compositum  fabulae  argumentuin 6  est,  ut  veluti  fratris 
reliquias  ferens  Electra  comploret  commisereaturque  in- 
teritum7  eius  existimatum.  Igitur  Polus,  lugubri  habitu 
Electrae  indutus,8  ossa  atque  urnam  e  sepulcro  tulit  filii 
et,  quasi  Oresti  amplexus,  opplevit9  omnia  non  simula- 

15  cris 10  neque  imitamentls,  sed  luctu  atque  lamentls  veris  u 


et  splrantibus.12 
actus  est. 


Itaque  cum  agi  fabula  videretur,  dolor 


1  '  actor.'  2  gestus  is  to  be  taken 
with  venustate,  vocis  with  clari- 
tudine.  Translate :  '  in  grace  of 
gesture  and  distinctness  of  enuncia- 
tion.' In  the  theaters  of  Greece  and 
Rome  the  play  of  the  features,  on 
which  modern  actors  rely  so  largely, 
was  entirely  precluded  by  the  huge 
masks  worn  by  the  actors.  Every- 
thing therefore  depended  on  the 
a, 'tor's  voice  and  gestures.  The  size 
of  the  theaters  (which  often  accom- 
modate 1  from  15,000  to  30,000  per- 
sons) rendered  a  loud,  sonorous 
utterance  necessary.  Much  of  the 
play  was  sung  or  delivered  in  reci- 
tative, and  the  actor  was  often  re- 
quired to  take  both  male  and  female 
parts  in  the  same  play.  Hence  mu- 
sical training  was  essential,  and 


ancient  authors,  in  speaking  of 
actors,  lay  especial  emphasis  upon 
the  quality  of  their  voices,  often 
using  language  "  which  at  the  pres- 
ent day  would  seem  more  appro- 
priate to  a  notice  of  an  operatic, 
singer."  8  '  earnestly.'  4  The  great 
Athenian  tragic  poet  (4!'5-40,5  B.C.). 
6  quasi .  .  .  ossibus:  'supposed  to 
contain  the  bones.'  So  in  1.  IQvehtti 
ferens  =  '  thinking  that  she  was  car- 
rying.' Cf.  alsol.  14,  quasi  amplexus, 
and  the  use  of  tamquain,  p.  22,  n.  4. 
6  'plot.'  "  =  mortem.  8  'clad  in.' 
9  '  made  the  whole  theater  ring.'  10  sc. 
luctus  (genitive).  n  veris  is  to  be 
taken  also  with  luctu.  12  =  '  living,' 
i.e. '  genuine.'  ia  dolor,  '  real  grief,' 
is  contrasted  with  fabula.  which  = 
(1)  'a  play,'  and  ('-)  '  fiction.' 


NOCTES  ATTICAE,- VII.  4  59 

VII.  3 

Historia  surapta  ex  libris  Tuberonis l  de  serpente  invlsitatae 
longitudinis. 

Tubero  in  Histories  scriptum  reliquit  bello  prim  6 
Poenico  Atilium2  Regulum  consulem  in  Africa,  castris 
apud 3  Bagradam 4  flumen  positis,  proelium  grande  atque  5 
acre  fecisse  adversus  unum5  serpentem  in  illls  locis  sta- 
bulantem6  invlsitatae  inmanitatis,  eumque  magna  totius 
exercitus  confllctione  balistis 7  atque  catapultis  diu  oppu- 
gnatum,  eiusque  interf  ecti  corium 8  longum  pedes  centum 
et  viginti  Komam  mlsisse.  10 

VII.  4 

Quid  idem  Tubero  novae9  historiae  de  Atilio  Kegnlo  a  Carthaginiensi- 
bus  capto  litteris  mandaverit ;  quid  etiam  Tuditanus 10  super  eodem 
Regulo  scripserit. 

Quod  satis  celebre  u  est  de  Atilio  Regiilo,  id  nuperrime 
legimus  scriptum  in  Tuditani  libris :  Regulum 12  captum  15 
ad  ea,  quae  in  senatu  Romae  dixit  suadens,  ne  captivi 
cum  Carthaginiensibus  permutarentur,  id  quoque  addi- 
disse,  venenum  sibi  Carthaginienses  dedisse,  non  prae- 
sentarium,13  sed  eiusmodi  quod  mortem  in  u  diem  prof erret, 


1  Q.  Aelius  Tubero,  a  jurist  and 
historian  of  the  first  century  B.C. 
2  M.  Atilius  Regulus  Serranus,  who 
was  defeated  and  taken  prisoner 
by  the  Carthaginians  in  Africa  in 
255  B.C.  3  'near.'  4  a  river  not 


catapitltae     for     shooting     arrows. 
8 '  skin.' 

9  '  strange.'  10  C.  Sempronius 
Tuditanus,  consul  129  B.C.,  wrote 
Histories  in  annalistic  fashion  (p.  28, 
n.5).  n  '  well-known.'  12  Tradition 


far  from  Carthage.    5  unum  is  here  i  says  that  Regulus  was  sent  to  Rome 
practically  an  indefinite  article.     So  j  in  251  B.C.  to  negotiate  an  exchange  of 


quidam  is  often  used.  Cf.  German 
tin  '  one,  a,'  and  French  and  Italian 
un.  6  'living.'  So  stabulum  origi- 
nally denoted  a  dwelling,  whether 
for  man  or  beast.  "  The  ballistae 


were  used  for  throwing  stones,  the  I  for  a  time.' 


prisoners.  Before  leaving  Carthage 
he  bound  himself  by  an  oath  to  re- 
turn unless  the  exchange  was 
effected.  13  'immediate  in  effect.' 
14  in  diem  prcferret:  'postponed 


60 


AULUS  GELLIUS 


eo  consilio,  ut  viveret  quidem  tantisper  quoad  fieret  perinu- 

tatio,  post  autem  grassante *  sensim  veneno  contabesceret.2 

Eundem  Rggulum  Tubero  in  Historiis  redisse  Cartha- 

ginem  novisque  exemploruin 3  modis  excruciatum  a  Poems 

5  dlcit.  "  In  atras,"  inquit,  "  et  profundas  tenebras  eum 
claudebant  ac  diu  post,  ubi  erat  visus  sol  ardentissimus, 
repente  educebant  et  adversus  ictus  soils  opposition  con- 
tinebant  atque  intendere  in  caelum  oculos  cogebant.  Pal- 
pebras 4  quoque  eius,  ne  conivere 5  posset,  sursum  ac 

10  deorsum  dlductas6  insuebant."  Tuditanus  autem  somno 
diu  prohibitum  atque  ita  vita  privatmn  refert,  idque  ubi 
Romae  cognitum  est,  nobilissimos  Poenorum  captivos 
liberis  Reguli  a  senatu  deditos  et  ab  his  in  armario7 
muricibus8  praeflxo  destitutos9  eademque  Insomnia  cru- 

15  ciatos  interlsse. 


VII.  10 

Historia  super  Euclida10  Socratico,  cuius  exemplo  Taurus11  philoso- 
phus  hortari  adulescentes  suos  solitus  ad  philosophiam  iiaviter12 
sectandam. 

Philosophus  Taurus,  vir  memoria  nostra  in  dlsciplma 13 

20  Platonica  celebratus,  cum  aliis  bonis  multis  salubribus- 

que  exemplis  hortabatur  ad  philosophiam  capessendam,14 

turn  vel  maxime  ista  re  iuvenum  animos  expergebat,15 

Euclldem  quam   dicebat  Socraticum  factitavisse.     "  De- 


1  grassari  =  '  to  move,' '  proceed  ' ; 
here  to  'permeate  the  system.' 
2  'waste  away.'  8  'punishments,' 
especially  such  as  were  meant  to  be 
'examples,'  i.e.  warnings,  to  others. 
•«  '  eyelids.'  s  Cf.  p.  27,  n.  9.  «  dl- 
ductas insuebant  =  diducebant  et 
itisuebaiit  ('sewed  fast'),  "'box.' 
8  Properly,  murex  denotes  the  shell- 
fish from  which  purple  dye  was  ob- 
tained. Here  muricibus  =  jagged 


bits  of  stons,  or  perhaps  iron  spikes. 
9  'placed,'  i.e.  'confined,'  a  rare 
meaning. 

10  A  distinguished  philosopher 
(about  B.C.  400)  not  to  be  confounded 
with  Euclid,  the  famous  mathemati- 
cian, who  taught  at  Alexandria  about 
a  century  later.  u  Introduction, 
§  (i.  w 'energetically.'  18' study.' 
14  'pursuing.'  Cf.  sectandam  in  the 
title.  15  '  strove  to  awaken.' 


XOCTES   ATTICAE,  IX.  3  61 

creto  "  inquit  "  suo  Athenienses  caverant,  \\t  qui  Megaris J 
civis  esset,  si  intulisse2  Athenas  pedem  prensus  esset, 
ut  ea  res  el  homini  capitalis  esset ;  tanto  Athenienses  " 
inquit  "odio  flagrabant  flnitimorum  honiinum  Mega- 
rensium.  Tuni  Euclldes,  qui  indidem  Megaris  erat  qul-  5 
que  ante  id  decretum  et  esse  Athems  et  audire  Socratem 
consueverat,  postquam  id  decretum  sanxerunt,  sub  noc- 
tem,  cum  advesperasceret,  tunica  longa  muliebri  indutus3 
et  pallio 4  versicolore 5  aniictus  s  et  caput  rica  6  velatus,  e 
domo  sua  Megarls  Athenas  ad  Socratem  eommeabat,  ut  10 
vel  noctis  aliquo  tempore  consiliorum  sermonumque  eius 
fieret  particeps,  rursusque  sub  lucem  milia  passuum  paulo 
amplius  viginti  eadem  veste  ilia  tectus  redibat.  At 
nunc,"  inquit  "  videre  est 7  philosophos  ultro  currere, 
ut  doceant,  ad  fores  iuvenum  divitum  eosque  ibi  sedere  15 
at  que  opperlr!8  prope  ad  meridiem,  donee  discipull  noc- 
turnum  omiie  vinuin  edormiant."  9 


IX.  3 

Epistula  Philippi 10  regis  ad  Aristotelem 1J  philosophum  super  Alexandro 
recens 1-2  nuto. 

Philippus,   Amyntae   filius.   terrae    Macedoniae    rex,  20 
emus  virtute  industriaque  Macetae  K  locupletissimo  impe- 
rio  aucti  gentium 14  nationuinque IS  multarum  potiri  coepe- 

1  Ablative  of  Megara,  Mega.ro-  5  'parti-colored.'  6  'veil.'  7  'it  is 
rum,  the  capital  of  Megaris,  a  small  possible.'  &  =  manere.  9<  sleep  off.' 
district  of  Greece  lying  between  I  10  Cf.  p.  49,  n.  1.  u  The  distin- 
Attica  and  Corinth.  2  Join  with  '  guished  Athenian  philosopher  (384- 
prensus  esset.  Gellius  is  fond  of  322B.C.),  apupil  of  Plato  and  author 
odd  uses  of  the  infinitive.  Note  of  many  valuable  works.  A  good 
also  the  tense  of  intulisse.  We  story  is  told  of  him  by  Gellius  xiii.  5 
would  say:  'if  any  one  were  caught  (p.  73).  12  adverb  =  nuper.  Alex- 
setting  foot.'  Another  evidence  of  ander  was  born  in  35<i  B.C.  i3  a  rare 
exactness  is  to  be  seen  in  the  case  of  form,  mainly  poetic  =  Macedones. 
Athenas.  3  Cf. p. 58, n.8.  4 'cloak.'  14  'nations.'  1S  'tribes.' 


62 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


rant  et  cuius  vim  atque  arma  toti  Graeciae  cavenda1 
metuendaque  inclitae  illae  Demosthenis  orationes2  con- 
tionesque3  vocificant,4  is  Philippus,3  cum  in  omni  fere 
tempore  negotiis  belli  victoriisque  adfectus  exercitusque 

5  esset,  a  liberal!  tamen  Musa  et  a  studiis  humanitatis  num- 
quam 6  afuit,  qum 7  lepide  comiterque  pleraque  et  f aceret 
et  dlceret.  Feruntur  adeo 8  libii  epistularum  eius,  mundi- 
tiae9  et  venustatis  et  prudentiae  plenarum,  velut  siuit 
illae  litterae,10  quibus  Aristotell  philosopho  natum  esse 

10  sibi  Alexandrum  nuntiavit. 

Ea  epistula,  quoniam  curae  u  dlligentiaeque  in 12  libero- 
rum  disciplines  hortamentum  est,  exscrlbenda  visa  est  ad 
commonendos  parentum  animos.  Exponenda w  est  igitur 
ad  hanc  ferme  sententiam : 

15  "  Philippus  Aristotell  salutem  u  dicit. 

"  Filium  mihi  genitum  scito.  Quod w  equidem  dis 
habeo  gratiam,  non  proinde  quia  natus  est,  quam  pro  eo, 
quod  nasci  contigit  temporibus  vitae  tuae.  Spero  enim 
fore,  tit  eductus  eruditusque  a  te  dignus16  exsistat  et 

20  nobis  et  rerum  istaruni  susceptione." 


1  Sc.  esse.  Cavenda  and  metu- 
enda  are  plural,  as  agreeing  with 
the  two  subjects,  vim  and  arma, 
both  of  which  denote  things.  2  The 
famous  Philippic  and  Olynthiac  ora- 
tions, by  which  Demosthenes  (384- 
322  B.C.),  the  greatest  orator  of  the 
ancient  world,  sought  to  open  the 
eyes  of  his  countrymen  to  the  de- 
signs of  Philip,  and  to  induce  them  to 
take  measures  for  their  own  safety. 
3  'speeches.'  For  another  meaning 
see  p.  42,  n.  8.  4  =  declarant.  5  is 
Philippus  '  this  Philip,'  resumes  the 
J'/iil/itpus  of  p.  61,  1.  20,  after  the 
break  made  by  the  two  relative 
clauses  cuiits  . .  .  coeperant  and  cuius 
vocificant.  6  numquam  afuit :  '  was 


never  a  stranger  to.'  7  qum  .  .  . 
diceret  =  lit  non  dlceret.  The  sub- 
junctive denotes  result.  8  'in  fact." 
9  Cf.  p.  29,  n.  10.  10  Here,  as  often, 
of  a  single  letter.  Cf.  epistula,  1. 11, 
and  in  the  title.  n  Objective  geni- 
tive with  hortamentum  =  'incentive 
to.'  12  in  ...  dlsciplinSs :  '  in  the 
direction  of,  towards  the  training  of 
children.'  For  the  plural  (liscipli- 
nas,  see  p.  l(i,  n.  5.  13  'translated.' 
The  original  letter  was,  of  course, 
in  Greek.  "  Cf.  p.  24,  n.  2.  15  ad- 
verbial accusative  ==  de  quo,  or 
propter  quod.  16  dignus  . .  .  suscep- 
tione :  '  prove  himself  a  worthy 
son,  and  worthy  to  wield  that  power 
(which  will  one  day  be  his).' 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  IX.   11  63 

IX.   11 

De  Valeric  Corvmo;  et  unde  Corvmus.1. 

De  Maximo  Valeric,2  qui  Corvlnus  appellatus  est  ob 3 
auxilium  propugnationemque  corvi  alitis,  haut  quisquam 
est  nobilium  scriptorum,  qul  secus 4  dixerit.  Ea  res  pror- 
sus  miranda  sic  profecto  est  in  libris  Annalibus  memo-  5 
rata:  Adulescens  tali5  genere  editus,  L.  Furio,  Claudio 
Appio  consulibus  fit  tribtlnus  militaris.  Atque  in  eo 
tempore  copiae  Gallorum  ingentes  agrum  Pomptmum6 
msederant  mstruebanturque  acies  a  consulibus  de 7  vi  ac 
multitudine  hostium  satis 8  agentibus.  Dux  interea  Gal-  10 
lorum,  vasta  et  ardua  proceritate 9  armlsque  auro  praeful- 
geiitibus,  grandia 10  ingrediens  et  manu  telum  reciprocans  u 
incedebat  perque12  contemptum  et  superbiam  circumspi- 
ciens  despiciensque  omnia,  venire  iubet  et  congredl,  si 
quis  pugnare  secum  ex  omni  Romano  exercitu  auderet.  15 
Turn  Valerius  tribunus,  ceteris  inter  metum  pudoremque 
ambiguls,13  impetrato14  prius  a  consulibus,  ut  in  Gallum 
tarn  inaniter  adrogantem  pugnare  sese  permitterent,  pro- 
greditur  intrepide  modesteque  obviam ;  et  congrediuntur 
et  consistunt  et  conserebantur  iam  inanus.  Atque  ibi  20 


1  Sc.  appellatus  sit  in  hoc  capi- 
tulo    demonstratur.    2  M.    Valerius 


marshy  district  in  Latium,  south  of 
Rome.    7  causal.    Cf.  ex,  p.  54,  n.  9. 


Maximus  Corvinus  was  six  times  j  8  Cf.  p. 23,  n.fi.  9<  height.'  10  gran- 
consul,  twice  dictator.  The  inci-  dia  ingrediens :  '  stalking  ahout 
dent  of  this  chapter  occurred  in  j  with  giant  strides.'  Note  the  allit- 
349  B.C.  (cf.  p.  64,  1.  9).  3  ob  .  .  .  ;  eration  and  the  cognate  accusative, 
alitis  =  quod  corrus  eum  auxiliatus  '•  It  must  be  apparent  even  to  the  most 
erat  et  propuynarnt.  For  the  pleo-  casual  reader  of  Gellius  that  he  is  ex- 
nasm  in  corvi  alitis  cf.  iii.  6.  2  :  traordinarily  fond  of  alliteration  and 
palmae  arboris.  *  —  aliter.  The  |  assonance.  n  '  brandishing.'  12  per 
meaning  is  that  all  writers  agree  in  with  the  accusative  often  =  an  adverb 
their  versions  of  the  incident.  5  tali  of  manner.  13  '  wavering.'  14<con- 
gener e  editus :  '  sprung  from  such  a  sent  having  been  secured  ' ;  an  imper- 
family.'  Cf.  the  colloquial,  "I  was  sonal  ablative  absolute,  a  construc- 
that  angry  I  couldn't  speak."  6  A  tion  common  in  post-classical  Latin. 


64 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


vis  quaedam  divlna  fit :  corvus  repente  inprovlsus  advolat 
et  super  galeam  tribuni  Insistit  atque  inde  in  adversarl 
os  atque  oculos  pugnare  incipit;  Insilibat,1  obturbabat 
et  unguibus  manum  laniabat 2  et  prospectum  alls  arcebat 

5  atque,  ubi  satis  saevierat,  revolabat  in  galeam  tribuni. 
Sic  tribunus,  spectante  utroque  exercitu,  et  sua  virtute 
mxus  et  opera  alitis  propugnatus,  ducem  hostium  ferocis- 
simum  vlcit  interfecitque  atque  ob  hanc  causam  cognomen 
habuit  Corvmus.  Id  factum  est  annls  quadringentls 

10  qulnque  post  Romam  conditam. 

Statuam  Corvlno  istl  Dlvus8  Augustus  in  foro  suo 
statuendam  curavit.  In  eius  statuae  capite  corvl  simula- 
crum est,  rel  pugnaeque,  quam  diximus,  monimentum. 


IX.  13 

Verba  ex  Historld  Claudi4  Quadrigari,  quibus  Manli5  TorquatI,  nobilis 
15          adulescentis,  et  hostis  Galli  provocantis  pugnam  depinxit. 

Titus  Manlius  summo  loco  natus  adprlmeque 6  nobilis 
fuit.  El  Manlio  cognomentum  factum  est  Torquatus. 
Causam  cognomenti  fuisse  accepimus  torquis 7  ex  auro 
induvies,  quam  ex  hoste,  quern  occlderat,  detractam  induit. 
20  Sed  quis  hostis  et  quid  genus,  quam  formldandae  vastita- 
tis  et  quantum8  Insolens  provocator  et  culmodl9  fuerit 
pugna  decertatum,  Q.  Claudius  prlmo  Anndlium  puris- 
sime 10  atque  inlustrissime  n  simpliclque  et  incompta 12  ora- 


1  archaic  for  insiliebat.  2  '  tore.' 
3  Divus  is  the  regular  epithet  at- 
tached to  the  names  of  the  dead 
emperors.  Imitating  the  example 
set  by  Julius  Caesar,  Augustus  built 
a  forum,  containing  a  splendid  tem- 
ple dedicated  to  Mars  Ultor,  part  of 
which  yet  remains. 

4  Of.  p.  23,  n.  3.  6  T.  Manlius  Tor- 
quatus was  twice  dictator  and  thrice 
consul.  The  fight  referred  to  by 
Gellius  was  fought  in  361  B.C.  8  '  ex- 


ceedingly.' 7  'necklace';  genitive 
with  induvies,  which  =  'ornament.' 
Note  also  that  induvies  is  ace.  plur., 
and  that  the  word  occurs  nowhere 
else  in  Latin.  8  Adverbial  accusative 
with  insolena.  '•>  =  quali.  Cf.  p. 
l.r>,  n.  5.  10  '  with  the  greatest  ele- 
gance.' Cf.  the  noun  munditia  (p.  29, 
n.  10),  which  =  (1)  'neatness,'  then 
(2)  'elegance.'  u  'with  the  great- 
est clearness.'  Cf.  luce,  p.  29,  1.  17. 
12  '  unadorned,'  i.e.  artless,  natural. 


XOCTES   ATTICAE,  IX.  13  65 

tionis  antlquae  suavitate  descrlpsit.  Quern  locum  ex  eo 
libro  philosophus  Favormus l  cum  legeret,  non  minoribus 
quatl  adficique  aninium  suum  motibus 2  pulsibusque  dlce"- 
bat,  quam  si  ipse  coram  depugnantes  eos  spectaret. 

Verba  Q.  Claudi,  quibus  pugna  ista  depicta  est,  ad-    5 
scrlpsl:    Cum3  interim   Gallus   quidam   nudus4  praeter 
scutum  et  gladios  duos  torque  atque  armillis 5  decoratus 
processit,  qui  et  viribus  et  magnitudine  et  adulescentia 
simulque  virtute  ceteris  antistabat.     Is  maxime  proelio 
conmoto  atque  utrisque  summo  studio  piignantibus,  manu  10 
significare6  coepit  utrisque  quiescerent.      Pugnae  facta 
pausa  est.     Extemplo  silentio  facto  cum  voce   maxima 
conclamat,  si  quis  secum  depugnare  vellet,  uti  prodiret. 
Xemo  audebat  propter  magnitudinem  atque  inmanitatem 
facies.7     Deinde   Gallus   inrldere   coepit   atque   linguam  15 
exsertare.     Id 8  subito  perdolitum  est  culdam  Tito  Man- 
lio,  summo  genere  gnato,  tan  turn  flagitium 9  civitat!  adci- 
dere,  e  tanto   exercitu   neniinem   prodire.     Is,   ut   dico, 
processit  neque  passus  est  virtutem  Romanam  ab  Gallo 
turpiter  spoliarl.     Scuto  pedestrl 10  et  gladio  u  Hispanico  20 
cinctus 12  contra  Gallum  constitit.     Metu 13  magno  ea  con- 
gressio  in  ipso  ponti,14  utroque  exercitu  mspectante,  facta 
est.     Ita,  ut   ante  dixl,  constiterunt :   Gallus  sua  disci- 


With  the  praise  accorded  here  to 
Quadrigarius,  compare  the  Introduc- 
tion, §4. 

1  Introduction,  §  5.     2  motibus 


and  two  and  one  half  wide.  n  gladio 
Hispanico :  Quadrigarius  has  appar- 
ently committed  a  blunder  here.  In 
3(51  B.C.,  when  this  fight  took  place, 


pulsibusque :  '  violent  emotions.'  the  Romans  had  little,  if  any,  knowl- 
:i  Before  cum  supply  some  phrase  like  edge  of  Spain.  He  is  thinking,  proha- 
Galli  contra  Romanos  pugnabant.  bly,  of  the  straight,  two-edged,  and 

4  i.e.     without     defensive     armor,  j  dagger-like  weapon  which  the  Ro- 

5  'armlets.'    6  =  hortari,  imperare,  ;  mans  adopted  from  the   Spaniards 
and  hence  followed  by  (ut).  quiesce-    about  the  time  of  Hannibal.    12  =  ar- 


rent.    "  an  old  genitive  =faciei.   8  Id 
Manlio:  '  this  cut  a  certain  M.  to 


matus.   13  Metu  magno  :  'amid  great 
anxiety ' ;   an  ablative  of  attendant 


the  heart.'    9  Cf.  p.  27,  n.  4.    10  The  i  circumstance.    14  This  bridge  crossed 
infantry  shield  was  of  wood,  covered  j  the  river  Anio,  a  tributary  of  the 
with  raw  hide.     It  was  four  feet  long  ;  Tiber,  about  four  miles  from  Rome. 
AUL.  GEL.  — 5 


66 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


plma  *  scuto  proiecto  cunctftbundus ; 2  Manilas,  animo 
magis  quam  arte  confisus,  scuto  scutum  percussit  atque 
statum 3  Galli  conturbavit.  Dum  se  Gallus  iterum  eodem 
pacto  constituere  studet,  Manlius  iterum  scuto  scutum 

5  percutit  atque  de  loco  hominem  iterum  deiecit ;  eo  pacto 
el4  sub  Gallicum  gladium  successit  atque  Hispanico  pec- 
tus  hausit ; 5  delude  continue  umerum  dextrum  eodem 
concessu 6  incidit  neque  recessit  usquam,  donee  subvertit, 
ne  Gallus  impetum  in  Ictu  haberet.  Ubi  eum  evertit, 

10  caput  praecidit,  torquem  detraxit  eamque  sanguinulen- 
tam  sibi  in  collum  inponit.  Quo  ex  facto  ipse  posteriqiie 
eius  Torquati  sunt  cognominati. 


X.  10 

Quae  eius  rei  causa  sit,  quod  et  Graeci  veteres  et  Roinam  auulum 7  hoc 
digito  gestaverint,  qui  est  in  manu  sinistra  minium  proximus. 

15  Veteres  Graecos  aiiulum  habviisse  in  digito  accepimus 8 
sinistrae  manus,  qui  mininio  est  proximus.  Romanos 
quoque  homines  aiunt  sic  plerumque  anulis  usitatos. 
Causam  esse  hiiius  rei  Apion 9  in  libris  Aegyptiacis  hanc 
dicit,  quod  Tnsectis  apertisqiie  huinaiiis  corporibus,  ut 

20  mos  in  Aegypto  fuit,  quas 10  Graeci  dvaro/Aas ll  appellant, 
repertum  est,  nervum  quendam  tenuissimum  ab  eo  fmo 


1  'custom.'  2  literally,  'hesitat- 
ing,' i.e.  acting  on  the  defensive. 
8  '  position ' ;  a  term  of  the  arena. 
4  el  .  .  .  successit :  '  he  succeeded  in 
getting  under.'  Successit  is  imper- 
sonal. The  Gallic  sword  was  long  and 
so  useless  at  close  quarters.  5  =  vul- 
neravit.  The  idea  suggested  by  this 
word  is  that  of  draining  the  life-blood 
of  one's  foe.  6  '  permission,'  i.e.  op- 
portunity. The  meaning  is  that  the 
Gaul,  by  suffering  M.  to  dislodge  him, 
gave  him  an  opportunity  to  pierce 
his  breast,  and  then  his  shoulder. 


7  '  ring.'  8  Sc.  auribus,  and  ren- 
der 'heard.'  »  Cf.  p.  54,  11.  12-16. 
10  'which  (operations)',  i.e.  the  cut- 
ting and  opening.  The  relative  is 
feminine,  because  attracted  into  the 
gender  of  the  predicate  noun  avaro- 
/udj,  which  is  accus.  plur.  feminine. 
Such  attraction  is  normal  in  Latin. 
Cf.  above,  1.  18,  where  hanc  is 
feminine  to  agree  with  citusam, 
though  in  theory  it  should  be  neu- 
ter, because  explained  by  the 
clause  quod  .  .  .  pervenire.  u  '  dis- 
sections.' 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  X.  27  67 

digito,  de  quo  diximus,  ad  cor  hominis  pergere  ac  perve- 
nire ;  propterea  non  Inscitum l  visum  esse,  eum  potis- 
simum  digitum  tall  honore  decorandum,  qui  continens 
et  quasi  conexus  esse  cuin  prmcipatu  cordis  videretur. 

X.  27 

Historia  de  populo  Romano  deque  populo  PoenicS,  quod  pari  propemo-     5 
iliiiu  vigore  fuerint  aemuli. 

In  litterls *  veteribus  memoria  exstat,  quod  par  quon- 
dam fuit  vigor  et  acritudo  amplitudoque  populi  Roman! 
atque  Poem.     Neque  inmerito  aestlmatum.3     Cum  aliis 
quidem  populis  de 4  unmscuiusque  republica,  cum  Poenls  10 
autem  de  omnium  terrarum  imperio  decertatum.3 

Eius  rei  specimen  est  in  illo 5  utrmsque  popul!  verbo 
factoque :  Q.  Fabius,  imperator  Romanus,  dedit 6  ad  Car- 
thaginienses  epistulam.  Ibi 7  scrlptum  fuit,  populum 
Eomanum  mlsisse  ad  eos  hastam  et  caduceum,8  signa  duo  15 
belli  aut  pacis,  ex  quis9  utrum  vellent  eligerent;  quod 
elegissent,  id  unum  ut  esse  missum  exlstimarent.  Cartha- 
ginienses  responderunt,  neutrum  sese  eligere,  sed  posse, 
qui  adtulissent,  utrum  mallent  relinquere;  quod10  reli- 
quissent,  id  sibi  pro  u  electo  f uturum.  20 

]\I.  autem  Yarro  non  hastam  ipsam  neque  ipsum  cadu- 
ceum  missa  dicit,  sed  duas  tesserulas,12  in  quarum  altera 
caduceum,  in  altera  hastae  simulacra  fuerint  incisa. 

1  =  absurdum.  I  herald's  staff,  consisting  of  a  stick 

2  Cf.  p.  39,  n.  9;     also   monu-  \  of  olive  wood,  ornamented  with  gar- 
m°ntis  iu  the  title  of  iv.  12  (p.  40).    lands,    or    ribbons.     9  =  quibus,    a 
8  Sc.  est.    4  decertare  de  is  an  idio-    usage  confined  to  archaic  and  collo- 
matic  way  of    saying,   'The   stake    quial  Latin.    in  quod  .  .  .  futurum : 
involved  in  the  contest  was.'    5  'the    in  the  direct  discourse  this  would 
following,'  a  meaning  which  the  word    read :   quod  reliqueritis,  id  nobis  pro 
often  bears.  6 '  despatched ';  it  is  con-    electo  erit.    u  'in  the  place  of  (i.e. 
strued  here  with  ad  and  the  accusa- ;  equivalent    to)     our    own     choice.' 
live  because  of  the  idea  of  motion    12  '  tokens ' ;   properly,  little  tickets 
implied.     7  =  in   ea    epistula.     8  a    or  slabs  of  wood  or  metal. 


68 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


XL   8 

Quid  senserit  dixeritque  M.  Cato  de  Albino,1  qul  homo2  Rom  an  us 
Graeca  oratione  res  Roinanas,  venia3  sibi  ante  eius  imperitiae4 
petita,  composuit. 

luste  venusteque  admodum  reprehendisse  dicitur  Au- 

5  lum  Albmum  M.  Cato.  Alblmis,  qul  cum  L.  Lucullo 
consul  fuit,  res  Romanas  oratione  Graeca  scriptitavit. 
In  eius  historiae  principio  scrlptum  est  ad  hanc  senten- 
tiam :  neminem  suscensere  sibi  convenire,5  si  quid  in  his 
libris  parum  composite6  aut  minus  eleganter  scrlptum 

10  foret ;  "  Nam  sum "  inquit  "  homo  Romanus  natus  in 
Latio,  Graeca  oratio  a  nobis  alienissima  est,"  ideoque 
veniam  gratiamque7  malae  existimationis,  si  quid  esset 
erratum,  postulavit.  Ea  cum  legisset  M.  Cato:  "Ne8 
tu,"  inquit  "  Aule,  nimium  nugator 9  es,  cum 10  maluisti  cul- 

15  pam  deprecari  quam  culpa  vacare.  Nam  petere  veniam 
solemus,  aut  cum  inprudentes  erravimus  aut  cum  com- 
pulsl  peccavimus.  Te  "  inquit  "  oro  te,  quis  perpulit, 
ut  id  committeres,  quod,11  priusquam  faceres,  peteres,  ut 
ignosceretur  ? "  Scrlptum  hoc  est  in  libro u  Cornell 

20  Nepotis  De  Inlustribns  Vtris  XIII. 


1  A.  Postumius  Albinus,  consul 
151  B.C.  "Albinus  was  a  zealous 
advocate  of  the  Hellenizing  move- 
ment." Long  before  his  time  Fa- 
bius  Pictor,  the  earliest  of  the 
Annalists,  had  written  in  Greek. 
2  'though  a  Roman.'  8  'pardon.' 
4  '  unskillful  ness.'  eius  =  '  therein ' 
(i.e.  Graeca  oratio)  is  objective  geni- 
tive with  imperitiae.  5  =oportere. 
ti '  skillfully.'  7  gratiam  .  . .  existi- 
mationis :  '  exemption  from  adverse 
criticism.'  8  An  affirmative  particle 
=  ' verily,'  'assuredly.'  It  is  used 
especially  with  personal  pronouns, 


and  must  be  carefully  distinguished 
from  the  interrogative  ne  and  the 
negative  ne.  9  A  frequent  term  of 
abuse:  'a  good  for  naught.'  10  Cf. 
p.  34,  n.u.  n  quod  here  has  a  double 
function.  In  part  it  serves  to  intro- 
duce the  consecutive  subjunctive 
peteres ;  in  part  it  supplies  the  ob- 
ject to  faceres.  as  well  as  the  sub- 
ject to  ignosceretur.  The  whole  = 
vt  id  (i.e.  tal»)  committeres  ut  id 
priuxqnam  faceres  peteres  ut  iynos- 
ceretui:  n  This  work  is  commonly 
called  "The  Lives  of  Cornelius 
Nepos." 


NOCTES  ATTICAE,   XI.  9  69 

XI.  9 

Historia  de  legatis  Milcsis l  ac  Demosthene  rhetore  in  libris  Critolai 2 

reperta. 

Critolaus  sciipsit  legates  MTleto  publicae3  rei  causa 
venisse  Athenas  (fortasse4  an  dixerit  auxilii  petendi 
gratia).  Turn  qui  pro  sese  verba  facerent,5  quos  visum6  ~> 
erat,  advocavisse;  advocates,  uti  erat  mandatum,  verba 
pro  Milesils  ad  populuin  fecisse,  Demosthenen  Milesiorum 
postulatis  acriter  respondisse,  neque  Mllesios  auxilio  di- 
gnos  neque  ex  republica 7  id 8  esse  contendisse :  rem  in 
posterum  diem  prolatam.9  Legates  ad  Demosthenen  10 
venisse  magiioque  opere  orasse,  uti 10  contra  ne 10  diceret ; 
eum  pecuniam  petlvisse  et  quantam  petiverat  abstulisse. 
Postrldie,  cum  res  agi  denuo11  coepta  esset,  Demosthe- 
nen, lana  ^  multa  collum  cervicesque  circumvolutum,  ad 
populum  prodisse  et  dlxisse,  se  synanchen I3  pati,  eo  con-  lo 
tra  Mllesios  loqul  non  quire.  Turn  e  populo  unum  excla- 
masse,  non  synanchen,  quod14  Demosthenes  pateretur,  sed 
argyranchen15  esse. 

Ipse  etiam  Demosthenes,  ut  Idem  Critolaus  refert,  non 
id  postea  concelavit ;  qum 16  gloriae 17  quoque  hoc  sibi 17  20 

1  =  Milesiis,  1.  7.  Cf.  principis,  i9  'postponed.'  10  Cf.  p.  31,  n.  2. 
p.  27,  1.  19.  Miletus  was  a  Greek  u  'anew.'  12  lana  .  .  .  circumvo- 
city  in  Asia,  near  the  mouth  of  the  lutum :  '  with  his  neck  and  throat 


river  Maeander.  2  A  famous  Peripa- 
tetic philosopher  of  the  second  cen- 
tury B.C.,  born  at  Phaselis  in  Lycia. 
3  publicae  rei  causa:  '  on  some  pub- 
lic business.'  4  fortasse  an  dixerit : 
'  he  may  perhaps  have  said.'  Cf.  p. 
54,  n.  14.  5  subjunctive  as  express- 
ing the  purpose  of  advocavisse. 
6  With  visum  erat  sc.  eis  advocare  ; 
as  the  subject  of  advocavisse  sc. 
Mileslos.  advocates  =  eos  qui  d 
Milesiis  advocati  essent.  "  Cf .  p.  30, 
n.  7.  8  =  Milesiis  auxilium  dare. 


enveloped  in  many  folds  of  woolen 
cloth.'  How  literally?  collum  and 
cervices,  modifying  circumvolu- 
tum, are  examples  of  the  so-called 
Greek  accusative  of  specification. 
This  construction  is  most  frequent 
in  poetry  and  post-classical  prose. 
13  'quinsy,'  'sore  throat.'  14  quod 
. .  .pateretur  =  'his  complaint,'  and 
is  subject  of  esse.  15  argyranche  = 
'  silver  quinsy,'  is  formed  after  the 
analogy  of  synanche.  16  =  immo 
vero,  '  nay.'  ir  dative. 


70  AULUS   GELLIUS 

adsignavit.  Nam  cum  interrogasset  Aristodemum,  acto- 
rem  fabularum,  quantum  mercedis  ut!  ageret  accepisset, 
et  Aristodemus  "  Talentum  " *  respondisset,  "  At  ego  plus  " 
inquit  "  accepi,  ut  tacerem." 

XII.  8 

5  Reditiones  in  gratiam  2  nobilium  virorum  memoratu  dignae. 

P.  Af  ricanus  superior 3  et  Tiberius  Gracchus,4  Tiberii 5 
et  C.5  Gracehorum 6  pater,  rerum  gestarum  magnitudine 
et  honorum7  atque  vitae  dignitate  inlustres  virT,  dissen- 
serunt  saepenuniero  de d  republica  et  ea  slve  qua  alia  re 9 

10  non  amlcl  fuerunt.  Ea  simultas 10  cum  diu  mansisset  et 
sollemni  die  epulum  "  lovl  llbaretur 12  atque  ob  id  sacrifi- 
cium  senatus  in  Capitolio  epularetur,  fors  fuit,  ut  aput 
eandem  mensam  duo  illi13  iunctim  locarentur.  Turn, 
quasi M  diis  inmortalibus  arbitrls  in  convivio  lovis  Optimi 

15  Maximi  dexteras  eorum  conducentibus,  repente  amicis- 
simi  facti.  Neque  solum  amicitia  incepta,  sed  adflnitas 
simul  Instituta;  nam  P.  Scipio  filiam  virginem  habens 
iam  viro  maturam,  ibi K  tune  eodem  in  loco  despondit  earn 
Tiberio  Graccho,  quern  probaverat  elegeratque  exploratis- 

20  simo 16  iudicii  tempore,  dum  inimicus  esset. 

1  Cf.  p.  48,  n.  14.  cause.   10  'quarrel.'    n  genitive  pln- 

2  '  Friendship ' ;     reditiones    in    ral  with  die :  '  on  a  solemn  feast  day.' 
gratiam  =  '  reconciliations.'      3  Cf.  |  ^  '  libations   were   being  offered  ' ; 
p.  41,  n.  11.    *  Ti.  Sempronius  Grac-  j  an  impersonal  passive.    13  illi  iunc- 


chus,  who  won  a  triumph  by  his 
exploits  in  Spain,  178  B.C.  6  The 
celebrated  Tribunes,  who  held  office 
in  133  and  123  B.C.  respectively. 
6  The  plural  is  regular  in  cases  like 
this,  where  two  men  of  the  same 
family  are  mentioned  and  their 
names  connected  bv  c-t.  ''  '  official 


tim  locarentur:  'places  were  as- 
signed them  close  together.'  14  quasi 
.  .  .  conducentibus :  '  from  the  fee-l- 
ing that  (quasi)  the  gods  as  wit- 
nesses (arbitris),  etc.'  For  this  use 
of  quasi  see  p.  58,  n.  5.  15  ibi  ... 
loco:  colloquial  fulness  of  expres- 
sion. We  might  render  by  '  right 


positions.'      8  de    republic?,:     'on    there  on  the  spot.'     16  'most  reli- 
political    questions.'     9  ablative    of  !  able.' 


NOCTES  ATTICAE,  XII.  12 


71 


Aemilius  quoque  Lepidus  et  Fulvius  Flaccus,1  nobili 
genere  amplissimisque  honoribus  ac  summo  loco  in  civi- 
tate  praediti,  odio  inter  sese  gravi  et  simultate  diutina 
conflictati  sunt.  Postea  populus  eos  simul  censores  facit. 
Atque  illi,  ubi  voce  praeconis 2  reniintiati 3  sunt,  ibidem 
in  Campo4  statim,  nondum  dimissa  contione,  ultro 
uterque  et  parl  voluntate  coniuncti  complexique  sunt, 
exque  eo  die  et  in  ipsa  censura  et  postea-  iug! 5  concordia 
fidissime  amicissiraeque  vixerunt. 


XII.  12 

Faceta  respoiisio  M.   Ciceronis    amolientis6  a  se  crimen 7  manifest!    10 
mendacil. 

Haec 8  quoque  discipllna 9  rhetorica  est,  callide  et  cum 
astu 10  res  crlminosas  citra n  perlculum  confiteri,  ut 12  si 
obiectum13  sit  turpe  aliquid,  quod  negaii  non  queat,  re- 
sponsione  ioculari  eludas 12  et  rem  facias 12  risu  magis  di-  15 
guam  quam  crimine,  sicut  f  ecisse  u  Ciceronem  scriptum  est, 
cum  id,  quod  Infitiari15  non  poterat,  urbano  facetoque 
dicto  diluit.16  Nam  ciun  emere  vellet  in  Palatio l7  domum 


1  Gellius  seems  to  be  in  error 
here,  as  Livy  xl.  4~>,  tells  the  story  of 
M.  Aemilius  Lepidus  and  M.  Fulvius 
Nobilior,  who  defeated  the  Aetolians 
in  189  B.C.  They  were  censors  to- 
gether in  179.  2  '  herald.'  3  '  were 
declared  elected.'  4  Sc.  Martio,  the 
field  lying  between  the  Capitoline 
Hill  and  the  Tiber,  where  elections 
were  held.  5  '  never-failing.'  This 
adjective  is  properly  applied  to 
springs  of  never-failing  water. 

6  =  avertentis :  'seeking  to  re- 
pel.' "  crimen  .  .  .  mendacil:  'the 
criticism  occasioned  by  a  bare-faced 
lie.'  mendacii  is  a  subjective  geni- 
tive. 8  Haec  is  explained  by  the 
clause  callide  .  .  .  crimine,  and  so 


theoretically  should  be  in  the  neuter 
gender,  but  in  accordance  with  the 
regular  Latin  usage  it  is  attracted 
into  the  gender  of  the  predicate 
noun  disciplina.  Cf.  p.  60,  n.  10. 
9  '  artifice.'  10  Cf.  p.  18,  n.  11.  cum 
astu  is  an  adverbial  phrase,  and  so 
can  be  coupled  with  callide.  u  = 
sine,  a  post-classical  use.  u  ut .  .  . 
eludas  et  .  .  .  facias:  subjunctives 
of  result.  13  Sc.  tibl :  '  cast  in  your 
(i.e.  one's)  teeth.'  14  Facere,  like  do 
in  English,  may  replace  any  preced- 
ing verbal  phrase.  Here  fecisse 
sums  up  the  ideas  expressed  by  the 
clause  res  .  .  .  crimine.  15  =  negare. 
16  'weakened  (the  force  of),'  'nul- 
lified.' 17  =  monte  Palatino. 


72 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


et  pecuniam  in1  praesens  non  haberet,  a  P.  Sulla,2  qui 
turn  reus3  erat,  mutua4  sestertium  viciens  tacita  accepit. 
Ea  res  tamen,  priusquam  emeret,  prodita  est  et  in  vulgus 
exivit,  obiectumque  el  est  quod  pecuniam  domus  emendae 

5  causa  a  reo  accepisset.5  Turn  Cicero  iiioplnata  obprobra- 
tione6  permotus  accepisse  se  negavit  ac  domum  quoque 
se  empturum  negavit  atque  "Adeo"  inquit  "verum  sit 
accepisse  me  pecuniam,  si  domum  emero."  Sed  cum 
postea  emisset  et  hoc  mendacium  in  senatu  el  ab  amicis 

10  obiceretur,  rlsit  satis7  atque  inter  ridendum  "'A/coivoj/o- 
771-01 " 8  inquit  "  homines  estis,  cum  ignoratis,9  prudentis 10 
et  cauti  patrisfamilias  esse,  quod  emere  velit,  empturum 
sese  negare  propter  conipetltores  emptionis." 

XIII.  2 

Super  poetarum  Pacuvii u  et  Accii 12  conloquio  familiarl  in  oppido 
15  Tarentmo. 

Quibus 13  otium  et  studium  fuit  vitas M  atque  aetates 
doctorum  hominuin  quaerere  ac  memoriae  tradere,  de  M. 


1  in  praesens  =  '  at  the  moment.' 
2  P.  Cornelius  Sulla,  a  nephew  of 
Sulla  the  Dictator,  tried  in  02  B.C. 
on  the  charge  of  complicity  in  the 
Catilinarian  conspiracy.  The  speech 
which  Cicero  delivered  in  his  behalf 
has  been  preserved.  3  reus  is  the 
technical  term  applied  to  any  one 
awaiting  trial.  4  mutua  .  .  .  accepit 
=  mutua  viciens  (centena  milia) 
sestertium  tacita  mutua,  i.e.  he 
secretly  borrowed  two  million  ses- 
terces. Cf.  p.  49,  n.  2.  5  The  sub- 
junctive is  due  to  the  indirect 
quotation.  Lawyers  at  Rome  were 
forbidden  to  receive  pay.  Cicero's 
critics  insinuated  that  he  got  the 
money  not  as  a  loan,  but  as  a  fee, 
and  so  had  violated  the  law.  G  '  crit- 
icism.' 7  'immoderately.'  8  From 


a  negative,  Koiv6s,  'common,'  and 
vow,  'to  think'  (cf.  j/oOs,  'mind, 
sense  ') :  '  lacking  in  common  sense.' 
9  For  the  indicative  after  cum, 
'  since,'  see  p.  34,  n.  5.  10  The 
thought  is  that  a  far-seeing  man 
ought  to  conceal  his  intended  pur- 
chases that  he  may  have  no  com- 
petitors to  outbid  him,  or  to  force  up 
the  price. 

11  Cf.  p.  31,  n.  8.  12  L.  Accius 
(170-90  B.C.),  the  greatest  of  the 
Roman  tragic  poets.  Of  his  plays 
about  fifty  titles  have  been  pre- 
served, together  with  fragments 
amounting  to  seven  hundred  verses. 

13  Quibus   .   .    .   fuit  :    '  those    who 
have  had  the  time  and  inclination.' 

14  vitas  atque  aetates :  'lives.'    For 
the  synonyms,  see  p.  16,  n.  3. 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  XIII.  5  73 

Pacuvio  et  L.  Accio  tragicls  poetls  historiam  scripserunt 
huiuscemodi l :  "  Cum  Pacuvius  "  inquiunt  "  grand! 2  iam 
aetate  et  morbo  corporis  diutino  adfectus,  Tarentum  ex 
urbe  Koma  concessisset,  Accius  tune,  haut  parvo  iunior, 
proficiscens  in  Asiam,  cum  in  oppidum  venisset,  devertit3  5 
ad  Pacuvium  comiterque 4  invitatus 5  plusculisque 6  ab  eo 
diebus  retentus,  tragoediam  suani,  cm  Atreus  nomen  est, 
desiderant!7  legit."  Turn  Pacuvium  dixisse  aiunt  sonora 
quidem8  esse,  quae  scripsisset,  et  grandia,9  sed8  videri 
tanien  ea  sibi  duriora  paulum  et  acerbiora.10  "  Ita  est "  10 
inquit  Accius  "uti  dlcis;  neque  id  me  sane  paenitet: 
meliora  eiiim  fore  spero,  qxiae  deinceps  n  scribam.  Kam 
quod 12  in  pomis,  itidem  "  inquit  u  esse  aiunt  in  ingeniis ; 
quae13  dura  et  acerba  nascuntur,  post  flunt  mitia  et 
iucunda,  sed  quae  gignuiitur  statim  vieta14  et  mollia  15 
atque  in  principle  sunt  uvida,  non  matura  mox  flunt,  sed 
putria.  Eelinquendum  igitur  visuni  est  in  ingenio,  quod 
dies  u  atque  aetas  mltificet." 

XIII.  5 

De  Aristotele 16  et  Theophrasto  l~  et  Eudemo  pbilosophis ;  deque  elegant! 

verecandia  Aristotelis  successorem  diatribae 18  suae  eligentis.  20 

Aristoteles  philosophus,  annos  iam  fere  natus  duo  et 
sexaginta,  corpore 19  aegro  adfectoque  ac  spe 19  vitae  tenui 

l  —talem.  Cf.  p.  15,  n.5.  2  grand!  ...  mollia,  where  glgnuntur  =  na- 
.  .  .  aetate  =  senectute.  3  devertit  scuntur.  14  '  shriveled.'  1S  dies  at- 
ad :  '  turned  aside  to  visit.'  4 '  courte-  j  que  aetas :  '  time.'  A  modern  critic 


ously.'  5  '  entertained.'  6' several.' 
7  Sc.  ei :  '  at  his  urgent  request.' 
»  See  p.  24,  n.  13.  »  '  lofty.'  i«  '  harsh' ; 
literally  'bitter.'  u  'hereafter.' 
w  quod  .  .  .  ingenilg :  '  for  what  they 
say  is  true  (esse)  in  the  case  of  the 


has  said:  "The  young  man  whose 
essay  shows  nothing  turgid,  no  un- 
graceful ornament  or  flashy  rhetoric, 
will  never  do  much  as  a  writer." 

i6Cf.p.61,n.ll.   i"  See  p.  41,  n.  4. 
!8  Cf .  p.  32,  n.  8.    Aristotle  was  at  the 


fruits,  is  true  also  in  regard  to  intel- 1  head  of  the  Peripatetic  school  of  phi- 
lectual  gifts.'  ^  quae  . .  .  nSscuntur :  j  losophy.  Further,  diatribae  is  in  the 
'the  fruits  that  are  hard  and  sour  |  genitive :  cf.  loci  et  mayisterii,  p. 
while  growing.'  So,  too,  below,  quae  I  74, 1. 2.  19  ablatives  of  characteristic. 


74 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


fuit.  Tune  omnis  eius  sectatorum l  cohors  ad  eum  acce- 
dit,  orantes 2  obsecrantesque,  ut  ipse  deligeret  loci  sul  et 
magisterii  successorem,  quo3  post  summum  eius  diem 
proinde  ut  ipso  uterentur  ad  studia  doctrlnarum  cou- 

5  plenda4  excolendaque,  quibus  ab  eo  inbutl  fuissent. 
Erant  tune  in  eius  ludo5  bom  multl,  sed  praecipul  duo, 
Theophrastus  et  Eudemus.  Ingenio  hi  atque  doctrmis 
ceteros  praestabant ;  alter  ex  Insula  Lesbo  fuit,  Eudemus 
autem  Rhodo.  Aristoteles  respondit  facturum  esse  quod 

10  vellent,  cum 6  id  sibi  foret  tempestivum. 

Postea  brevl  tempore  cum  Idem  illl,  qul  de  magistro 
destinando7  petierant,  praesentes  essent,  vinum  ait, 
quod  turn  biberet,  non  esse  id  ex8  valetudine  sua,  sed 
insalubre  esse  atque  asperum9  ac  propterea  quaeri  debere 

15  exoticum,10  vel  Rhodium  aliquod  vel  Lesbium.  Id  sibi 
utrumque  ut  curarent n  petivit,  usiiruinque  eo  dlxit,  quod 
sese  magis  iuvisset.  Eunt,  quaeruut,  inveniunt,  adfe- 
runt.  Turn  Aristoteles  Rhodium  petit,  degustat:  "Fir- 
mum"12  inquit  "hercle  vinum  et  iucundum."  Petit 

£0  mox  Lesbium.  Quo  item  degustato :  "  Utrumque  "  inquit 
"  oppido 13  bonum,  sed  ^SiW  "  6  AeV/3io;."  Id  ubi  dlxit, 
nemini  fuit  dubium,  quln  lepide  simul  et  verecunde  suc- 
cessorem ilia  voce  sibi,  non  vinum  delegisset.  Is  erat  e 
Lesbo  Theophrastus,  suavitate  homo  inslgnl  linguae 


1  'followers,'  'pupils.'  2  plural, 
as  agreeing  with  the  collective  noun 
cohors.  3  quo  .  .  .  uterentur  ex- 
presses purpose.  Render  '  whose 
guidance  they  might  follow  after  his 
death  (summum  diem)  even  as  they 
(had  followed)  him  himself.'  4  There 
is  a  contrast  between  conplenda  ex- 
colendaque  ('  to  complete  and  pursue 
to  the  end ')  and  inbuti.  For  the 
force  of  ex.  in  composition,  see  p.  35, 
n.  1.  Imbuere  is  often  used  of  in- 
itiating the  student  iuto  a  given 


branch  of  learning.  5  =  rliatriba,  p. 
73, 1.  20.  s  cum  .  .  .  tempestivum: 
'  when  the  proper  time  came.'  How 
literally?  ~>  =  eliyenclo.  8  ex  bears 
the  same  meaning  here  as  in  the 
common  phrase  ex  re  pnblica:  see 
p.  30,  n.  7.  9  '  tart.'  in  (sc.  vinum) 
'foreign.'  u  ' provide,'  'furnish.' 
12  '  strong.'  So  we  say  that  certain 
wines  have  'a  good  body.'  13  'ex- 
tremely.' The  word  belongs  mainly 
to  colloquial  Latin.  14  i]8iwv  6  \t- 
<7j3ioi :  '  the  Lesbian  is  the  pleasanter.' 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  XV.   1 


75 


pariter1  atque   vitae.     Itaque   non  diu   post  Aristotele2 
vita  defuncto,  ad  Theophrastum  omnes  concesserunt. 


XV.  1. 

Quod  in  Quiuti  Claudii3  Anndlibus  scrlptum  est,  lignum  alumine  obli- 
tum4  nou  ardere. 

Declamaverat  Antonius  lulianus 5  rhetor  praeterquam 6    5 
semper  alias,  turn  vero  nimium7  quantum  delectabiliter 
et  fellciter.8  .  .  .     Nos   ergo  familiares   eius  circumfusl 
undique  eum  prosequebamur  domum,  cum  inde  subeuntes 
montem  Cispium9  conspicimus  insulam 10  quandam  occupa- 
tam  igni  multls  arduisque  tabulatis  n  editam 12  et  propinqua  10 
iam  omnia  flagrare  vasto  incendio.     Turn  quispiam  ibi 
ex   comitibus  luliani  "  Magni "  inquit  "  redittis  13    urba- 
norum   praediorum,14   sed  peiicula   sunt   longe   maxima. 
Si  quid  autem  posset  remedii  fore,  ut  ne  tarn  adsidue 
domus  Romae  arderent,  venum 15  hercle   dedissem  res 16  15 
rusticas  et  urbicas  emissern."     Atque  ill!  lulianus  laeta, 
ut  mos  eius  f  uit,  inter 17  f abulandum  veiiustate  "  Si  anna- 
lem  "  inquit  "  undevicensimuin  Q.  Claudi  legisses,  optum! 


1  'equally.'  Note  the  position, 
which  gives  to  the  whole  an  effect 
like  '  not  merely  of  tongue,  but  of 
life  as  well.'  2  Aristotele  vita  de- 
fiincto  =  cum  Aristoteles  vita  de- 
functus  esset. 

3  Cf.  p.  23,  n.  3.  •*  From  oblinere, 
'to  smear,  coat.'  5  See  the  Intro- 
duction, §  4.  c  praeterquam  .  .  . 
vero:  literally  'besides  always  at 
other  times,  on  that  occasion  indeed 
(which  I  have  in  mind).'  The  whole 
sentence  means  that,  though  Anto- 
nius'  declamations  were  always 
charming  and  happy,  his  effort  was 
especially  fine  on  a  certain  occasion. 
"  nimium  quantum  =  ;  exceedingly.' 
and  qualities  the  adverbs  delecta- 


biliter and  feliciter.    Cf.  xvi.  6.  9 

ille  nihil  cunctatus  (est) ,  sed  nimium 
quantum  audacter . . .  inquit.  s '  hap- 
pily.' So  we  speak  of  a  '  happy  re- 
mark.' 9  One  of  the  spurs  of  the 
Esquiline  Hill,  to  the  east  of  the 
Forum.  10  An  apartment  house  or 
tenement,  containing  many  suites  of 
rooms,  which  were  let  out  to  differ- 
ent families.  The  name  is  derived 
from  the  fact  that  such  buildings 
were  often  surrounded  on  all  sides 
by  streets.  n  'stories.'  12  'tower- 
ing up.'  13  'income.'  14  'estates.' 

15  venum   dedissem  =  vendidissem. 

16  '  my  out-of-town  property.'    17  in- 
ter f  abulandum :  '  in  the  course  of 

:  the  conversation.' 


76 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


et  sincerissimi  scrlptoris,  docuisset  te  profecto  Archelaus, 
regis  Mithridati1  praefectus,  qua  medella2  quaque  sol- 
lertia3  ignem  defenderes,  ut  ne  ulla  tua  aedificatio  e 
llgno4  correpta5  atque  Insinuata  flammis  arderet." 

5  Percontatus  ego  sum,  quid  esset  illud  mirum  Quadii- 
garii.  Repetit :  "  In  eo  igitur  libro  scriptmn  inveui,  cum 
obpugnaret  L.  Sulla 6  in  terra  Attica  Plraeum 7  et  contra 
Archelaus  regis  Mithridati 8  praefectus  ex  eo  oppido  pro- 
pugnaret,  turrim  llgneain  defendendi  gratia  structam,  cum 

10  ex  omni  latere  circumplexa 9  ignl  f oret,  ardere  non  quisse, 
quod  alumine  ab  Archelao  oblita  fuisset." 

Verba  Quadrigari!  ex  eo  libro  haec  suut :  "  Cum  Sulla 
conatus  esset  tempore 10  magno,  eduxit  copias,  ut  Archelal 
turrim  unam,  quam  ille  interposuit,  llgneain  incenderet. 

is  Venit,  accessit,  llgna  subdidit,  submovit H  Graecos,  Ignem 
admovit ;  satis I2  sunt  difi  conati,  numquain  quiverunt 
incendere,  ita  Archelaus  omnem  matei-iam  obleverat  alu- 
mine,  quod 13  Sulla  atque  milites  mirabantur,  et  postquani 
non  succendit,  rediixit  copias." 


1  =  Mithridati K.  This  genitive 
in  I  from  names  ending  in  es  is  com- 
mon in  Gellius,  as  in  Cicero.  Cf. 
also  n.  8  below.  2  Cf .  rernedii,  p.  75, 
1.  14,  and  p.  41,  n.  3.  »  '  skillful  de- 
vice.' 4  e  llgno  =  an  adjective, 
'wooden.'  Ct.Hgneam^H.  5 cor- 
repta .  .  .  arderet  =  corriperetur  at- 
que insinuata  flammis  arderet.  With 
correpta  .  .  .  flammis  of.  occupatam 
if/id,  p.  75, 1. 9 ;  with  Insinuata  flam- 
mis  cf.  our  phrase,  '  wrapped  in 
flames.'  6  L.  Cornelius  Sulla  (1^-78 
B.C.),  the  leader  of  the  aristocratic 
party  and  enemy  of  Mari us,  the  cham- 
pion of  the  democracy.  He  was  dic- 
tator 80-78.  7  The  harbor  of  Athens. 
8  The  celebrated  king  of  Pontus,  who 
thrice  waged  war  against  the  Ro- 
mans, and  was  finally  defeated  by 


1  Poinpey.  (See  also  Gellius  xvii.  16, 
!  p.  89,  and  xvii.  17,  p.  !)0.)  The  inci- 
dent referred  to  by  Gellius  occurred 
in  86  B.C.  Mithridates,  after  over- 
running all  the  western  part  of  Asia, 
had  even  invaded  Greece  and  cap- 
tured Athens,  but  the  city  was  re- 
taken by  Sulla.  9  circumplexa  foret 
(=  esset):  'had  been  surrounded,' 
i.e.  the  verb  here  is  drcwnptecto,  not 
circumplector.  Gellius  treats  several 
other  verbs  in  the  same  way,  substi- 
tuting active  for  deponent  forms. 
1(1  tempore  magno :  '  fora  long  time,' 
an  unusual  sense  of  mat/nits.  n  i.e. 
he  drove  the  defenders  from  the  wall. 
12  Join  with  diu,  and  cf.  the  English 
'  quite.'  13 '  whereat ' :  quod  is  relai  i  ve, 
its  antecedent  being  the  whole  idea 
expressed  by  the  preceding  clauses. 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  XV.  16 


77 


XV.  10. 

De  fbluntario  et  admirando  interitu  virginum  Milesiarum.1 

Plutarchus2  in  librorum,  quos  Hepl3  ^v^s  mscripsit, 
primo,  cum  de  rnorbls  dissereret  in  animos  hominum  inci- 
dentibus,  virginum 4  dlxit  Milesi!  nominis 5  fere  quot  turn6 
in  ea  clvitate  erant  repente  sine  ulla  evident!  causa  5 
voluntatem  cepisse  obeundae  mortis  ac  deinde  plurimas 
vitam  suspendio7  amisisse.  Id  cum  accideret  in  dies 
crebrius 8  neque  animis  earum  morl  perseverantium  medi- 
cina  adhiberi9  qulret,  decrevisse  Milesios,  ut  virgines, 
quae  corporibus  suspensis  demortuae  forent,  ut  hae  omnes  10 
nudae  cum  eodem  laqueo,10  qui "  essent  praevinctae,  effer- 
rentur.  Post  id  decretum  virgines  voluntariam  mortem 
non  petlsse,  pudore  solo  deterritas  tarn  inhonestl  fiineris. 


XV.  16 

De  novo12  genere  interitus  Crotonieusis13  Milonis. 

Milo  Crotouiensis,  athleta  inlustris,  quern  in  Chronias14  15 
scriptum  est  Olympiads 15  qumquagesima  primum  corona- 


i  Cf.  p.  69,  n.  1.  2  A  distin- 
guished Greek  author  (50-120  A.D.), 
born  at  Chaeronea  in  Boeotia.  He 
spent  some  time  in  Rome,  and  con- 
ducted the  education  of  the  emperor 
Trajan.  His  best  known  work  is 
entitled  '  Parallel  Lives,'  and  con- 
sists of  a  series  of  forty-six  biogra- 
phies of  famous  Greeks  and  Romans. 
He  wrote  also  numerous  philosophic 
and  scientific  works.  8  Oepi  'I'l/x^s 
=  De  Aniino,  '  On  the  Soul.'  4  vir- 
ginum depends  on  quot  .  .  .  erant. 
The  wh;>le  =  omnes  virgines  quae 
turn  in  ea  civitate  erant.  5  This  use 
of  nomen,  corresponding  to  our  '  na- 
tionality,' is  common.  6  Indefinite 
here,  as  on  p.  75,  1.6.  J  'hanging.' 


8  =  saepius.  9  A  medical  term,  like 
our  '  apply.'  10  '  noose.'  n  =  quo. 
Following  the  practice  of  early  Latin, 
Gellius  several  times  uses  qui  as  the 
ablative  singular  of  the  relative  in 
all  genders. 

12  'strange.'  13  Crotoniensis  = 
'of  Crotona,'  a  town  in  southern 
Italy.  14  Sc.  libris :  'chronicles.' 
The  exact  nature  of  the  works  which 
Gellius  has  in  mind  cannot  be  de- 
termined. 15  An  Olympiad  was  the 
period  of  four  years  that  elapsed  be- 
tween two  successive  celebrations 
of  the  Olympian  games.  Since  the 
first  Olympiad  began  in  776  B.C., 
the  fiftieth  would  correspond  to  the 
years  580-576  B.C. 


78 


AULUS  GELLIUS 


turn  esse,  exitum  habuit  e  vita  miserandum  et  mlrandum. 
Cum  iam  natu  grandis  artem  athleticam  deslsset,1  iterque 
faceret  forte  solus  in  locis  Italiae  silvestribus,  quercum 
vldit  proxime  viam  patulis 2  in  parte  media  rlmis  hiantem. 

5  Turn  experlrl,  credo,  etiam  tune  volens,  an  ullae  sibi  reli- 
quae  vires  adessent,  inmissls 3  in  cavernas  arboris  digitis, 
dlducere  et  rescindere  quercum  conatus  est.  Ac  mediam 
quidem  partem  dlscidit  dlvellitque ;  quercus  autem  in 
duas  diducta  partis,  cum  ille,  quasi 4  perfects 5  quod  erat 

10  conixus,  manus  laxasset,  cessante6  vl  rediit  in  naturam 
manibusque  eius  retentls  incluslsque  stricta7  denuo  et 
cohaesa  dllacerandum  hominem  ferls  praebuit. 

XV.  17. 

Quam  ob  causarn  nobiles  puerl  Atheniensium  tibiis  8  canere  desierint, 
cum  patrium9  istum  morem  canendi  haberent. 

is  Alcibiades 10  Atheniensis,  cum  apud  avunculum  "  Peri- 
elfin  12  puer  artibus  ac  disciplinis  llberalibus  erudlretur  et 
arcessi  Pericles  Antigenldam  tlbicinem  iussisset,  ut  eum 


i  =  reliquisset.  Desinere  is  tran- 
sitive also  p.  19,  1.  15;  p.  20,  1.  9; 
p.  79,  1.  5.  2  patulis  .  .  .  hiantem: 
'  gaping  open  with  wide  cracks.'  Ac- 
cording to  another  version  of  the 
story,  woodcutters  had  partly  split 
the  tree  by  means  of  wedges.  When 
Milo  widened  the  opening,  the  wedges 
fell  out,  and  the  tree  closed  upon 
his  fingers.  3  inmissis  digitis :  '  in- 
serting his  fingers.'  4  Cf.  p.  58, 
n.  5.  5  perfects  agrees  with  the 
clause  quod  erat  comxus,  the 
whole  forming  an  ablative  absolute. 
Translate  quasi  .  .  .  conixus  by 
'thinking  that  he  had  accomplished 
what  he  set  out  to  do.'  c  cessante 
.  .  .naturam:  i.e.  as  soon  as  the 
strain  was  removed  the  oak  returned 
to  its  natural  position.  '  stricta  .  .  . 


cohaesa :  '  clinging  tightly  together.' 
Both  words  here  seem  to  =  '  com- 
pressed,' and  hence  are  opposed  to 
diducta  above,  1.  9. 

8  tibiis  canere :  '  to  play  the 
pipes.'  Cf.  p.  41,  n.  1.  tibiis  is  an 
instrumental  ablative.  9  predicate 
adjective  to  morem  .  .  .  haberent, 
and  =  'as  one  derived  from  their 
fathers.'  10  Alcibiades  (450-404  B.C.) 
was  a  pupil  of  Socrates.  He  played  a 
prominent  part  in  the  Peloponnesian 
War  (431-404),  fighting  first  for  the 
Athenians,  then  for  the  Spartans, 
and  again  for  the  Athenians.  u  '  un- 
cle.' 12  The  famous  statesman, 
leader  of  the  democracy  4!!9-42;> 
B.C.  He  was  thus  the  central  figure 
of  the  most  splendid  period  of 
Athenian  history. 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  XV.  18  79 

canere  tlbiis,  quod  honestissimum  turn  videbatur,  doceret, 
traditas l  sibi  tibias,  cum  ad  6s  adhibuisset  mflassetque, 
pudef actus  oris  def ormitate 2  abiecit  Inf regitque.  Ea  res 
cum  percrebuisset,3  omnium  turn  Atheniensium  consensu 
discipllna  tlbiis  canendl  desita  est.  5 

XV.  18. 

Quod  pugna  4  belli  civllis  victoriaque  Gal  Caesaris,  quam  vicit  in  Phar- 
salils  campis,  nuntiata  praedictaque  est  per  cuiuspiam  Cornell 
sacerdotis  vaticinium  5  eodem  ipso  die  in  Italia  Patavi.6 

Quo  C.  Caesar  et  Cn.  Pompeius  die  per 7  civile  bellum 
signis  conlatis  in  Thessalia  conflixerunt,  res  accidit  Pa-  10 
tavi  in  transpadana  Italia  memorari  digna.  Cornelius 
quidam  sacerdos,  et  loco  nobilis  et  sacerdotii 8  religionibus 
venerandus  et  castitate  vitae  sanctus,  repente 9  mota  mente 
conspicere  se  procul  dixit  pugnam  acerrimam  pugnari,  ac 
deinde  alios  cedere,  alios  urgere,  caedem,  fugam,  tela  15 
volantia,  mstaurationem 10  pugnae,  inpressionem,11  gemitus, 
vulnera,  proinde  ut  si  ipse  in  proelio  versaretur,  coram 
videre  sese  vociferatus  est  ac  postea  subito  exclamavit 
Caesarem  vicisse. 

Ea  Cornelii  sacerdotis  ariolatio 5  levis 12  turn  quidem  20 
visa  est  et  vecors.13    Magnae  u  mox  admirationi  fuit,  quo- 
niam  11611  modo  pugnae  dies,  quae  in  Thessalia  pugnata 
est,  neque  proelii  exitus,  qui  erat  praedictus,  idem  fuit, 

i  =  quae  traditae  erant.  2  Alci-  |  of.'  8  sacerdotii  religionibus :  '  the 
biades  objected  to  having  his  beauty  scrupulousness  of  his  priesthood,'  i.e. 
(for  which  he  was  famous)  spoiled  the  care  with  which  he  performed 
by  the  pipes.  3  '  became  generally  its  duties.  9  repente  .  .  .  dixit : 

'  suddenly  became  inspired  and  said,' 


known.'  4  The  battle  of  Pharsalus 
in  Thessaly,  fought  in  48  B.C.  Pom- 
pey  was  defeated  and  fled  to  Egypt, 


etc.    With  mota  mente  sc.  a  dels. 
10  'renewal.'      n   =   impetum,     'a 


where  he  was  murdered.  5  '  pro- |  charge.'  12  '  trivial.'  ia  '  senseless.' 
phecy.'  6  '  at  Patavium,'  the  modern  14  Magnae  .  . .  fuit:  '  presently  there 
Padua,  near  Venice.  " '  in  the  course  was  great  astonishment.' 


80 


AULUS   GKLLIUS 


sed  omnes  quoque  pugnandi  reciprocae l  vices  et  ipsa 
exercituum  duorum  conflictatio  vaticinantis 2  motu  atque 
verbls  repraesentata  est. 

XV.  22 

Historia  de  Sertorio,3  egregio  duce,  deque  astu  eius  commenticiisque4 
5  simulamentls,  quibus  ad  barbaros  milites  continendos  conciliandos- 

que  sibi  utebatur. 

Sertorius,  vir  acer  egregiusque  dux,  et  utendi  regencli- 
que  exercitus  peritus 5  i'uit.  Is  in  temporibus  difficillimis 
et  mentiebatur  ad  milites,  si  meiidacium.  prodesset,  et  llt- 

10  teras  compositas 6  pro  veris  legebat  et  somnium  simulabat 
et  falsas7  religiones  conferebat,  si  quid  istae  res  eum 
apud8  mllitum  animos  adiuvabaut.  Illud  adeo  Sertori 
nobile 9  est.  Cerva 10  alba  eximiae  pulchritudinis  et  viva- 
cissimae  celeritatis  a  Lusitano  el  quodam  douo  data  est. 

ir>  Hanc  sibi  oblatam  dlvmitus  et  Instinctam  n  Dianae  numine 
conloqul  secum  monereque  et  docere  quae  iitilia  factu 
essent,  persuadere  omnibus  mstitit12  ac,  si  quid  durius 
videbatur,  quod  imperandum  militibus  foret,  a  cerva  sese 
monitum  praedicabat.  Id  cum  dlxerat,  universi,  tam- 

20  quam 13  si  deo,  libentes  parebant.  Ea  cerva  quodain  die, 
cum  incursio  esset  hostium  nuntiata,  f estinatione u  ac 
tumultu  consternata  in  f  ugam  se  prorupit  atque  in  palude 15 


1  reciprocae  vices :  '  vicissi- 
tudes,' 'alternating  fortunes.'  2  = 
vatis,  '  seer.' 

8  Q.  Sertorius,  an  officer  in  the 
army  of  Marius,  who  went  to  Sp;iiii 
in  82  B.C.  as  propraetor,  and  main- 
tained himself  there  at  the  head  of 
the  Lusitanians  (Portuguese)  in  op- 
position to  the  government  at  Rome 
till  he  was  murdered  in  Tl.  4  com- 
menticiis  simulamentis  :  literally, 
'  by  his  feigned  (forged)  deceptions,' 


i.e.  schemes  carefully  wrought  out 
to  deceive.  5  '  skilled  in.'  e'  forged.' 
>  falsas  .  .  .  conferebat :  '  brought 
forward  (i.e.  expressed)  scruples 
which  he  did  not  feel  at  all.' 
s  apud  mllitum  animos :  '  in  the 
affections  of  the  soldiers.'  9  Here 
=  notifsimum.  10  '  A  doe.'  n  '  in- 
spired.' I2  '  he  proceeded.'  13  tam- 
quam  si  deo  =  tamquam  (parcant) 
si  d>o  (parntut).  l4' hurry,'  'bus- 
tle.' 15  '  marsh.' 


NOCTES  ATTIC AE,  XVI.  11  81 

proxima  delituit l  et  postea  reqmsita  perisse  credita  est. 
Xeque  multis  diebus  post  inventam  esse  cervam  Sertorio 
nuntiatur.  Turn,  qui  nuntiaverat,  iussit  tacere  ac,  ne 
GUI  palam  dlceret,  interminatus 2  est  praecepitque,  ut  earn 
postero  die  repente  in  eum  locum,  in  quo  ipse  cum  ami-  5 
cis  esset,  inmitteret.  Admissis  deinde  amicls  postridie, 
vlsum  sibi  esse  ait  in  quiete3  cervam  quae  perisset  ad 
se  revertl  et,  ut  prius  consuerat,  quod  opus  esset  facto 
praedicere ;  turn 4  servo  quod  imperaverat  significat,  cerva 
emissa  in  cubiculuni  Sertoril  introrupit,  clamor  factus  et  10 
orta  admiratio  est. 

Eaque   homiiium   barbarorum    credulitas   Sertorio   in 
magnis  rebus  magno  usui  f uit.    Memoria  prodita  est  ex  his 
nationibus,  quae  cum 5  Sertorio  f aciebant,  cum  multis  proe- 
lils  superatus  esset,  neminem  umquam  ab  eo  desclvisse,6  is 
quamquam  id  genus  hominum  esset  mobilissimum.7 

XVI.  11 

Historia  ex  Herodoti  libris  sumpta  de  Psyllorum  iuteritu,  qui  iu  Syrti- 
bus  8  Airieams  colebaut.9 

Gens  in  Italia  Marsorum  orta  fertur  a  Circae 10  filio. 
Propterea  ]\Iarsis  hominibus,  quorum  u  dumtaxat  familiae  20 
cum  externis  cognationibus  nondurn  etiam  permixtae  cor- 


i  'hid.'  Cf.  p.  53,  n.  15.  2  lit- 
erally 'threatened,'  but  here  'for- 
bade with  threats.'  Hence  it  may 
be  construed  with  the  clause  ne  .  . 


to  the  bays  in  which  they  stood,  and 
which  are  known  iu  modern  times  as 
the  Gulfs  of  Sidra  and  Cabes.  Here, 
by  a  further  extension  of  mean- 


diceret.  3  '  sleep.'  4  turn  ...  si-  in;,',  Syrtibus  =  the  coast  adjoining 
gnificat :  i.e.  '  then  he  gave  the  ap-  i  these  gulfs.  9  =  incolebant, '  dwelt.' 
pointed  signal.'  5  cum  Sertorio  10  Circe  was  a  famous  sorceress, 


faciebant:     'supported    Sertorius.' 
6  'revolted.'    ~  '  most  fickle.' 

8  The  name  Syrtes  properly  de- 
noted two  sandbanks,  called  Maior 
and  Minor,  on  the  north  coast  of 
Africa.  The  name  was  applied  also 

AUL.    GEL.  —  6 


dwelling,  as  Homer  says,  on  an 
island  which  the  Romans  identified 
with  the  promontory  of  Circeii,  on 
the  coast  of  Latium.  n  quorum 
dumtaxat :  '  those  of  them  at  least 
whose  .'amilies,'  etc. 


82  AULUS   GELLIUS 

ruptaeque  sunt,  vi1  quadam  genital!  datum,  ut  et  ser- 
pentium  virulentorum  domitores  sint  et  incentionibus 2 
herbarumque  sucis 3  faciant  niedellarum 2  miracula. 

Hac  eadem  vi  praeditos   esse  quosdam  videmus,  qui 

5  Psylll  vocantur.  Quorum  super  nomine  et  genere  cum  in 
veteribus  litteris  quaeslssem,  in  quarto  denique  Herodoti 
libro  fabulara  de  Psyllis  hanc  invenimus :  Psyllos  quon- 
dam fuisse  in  terra  Africa  contermiiios  Nasamonibus 
Austrumque4  in  fmibus  eorum  quodam  in  tempore  per- 

10  quam 5  validum  ac  diutinum  flavisse ;  eo  flatu  aquam 
omnem  in  locis,  in  quibus  colebant,  exaruisse6;  Psyllos, 
re7  aquaria  defectos,  earn8  iniuriam  graviter  Austro 
suscensuisse  decretumque  fecisse,  uti  armis  sumptls  ad9 
Austrum,  proinde  quasi  ad 9  hostem,  iure  belli  res 10  petltum 

15  proficlscerentur.  Atque  ita  profectis  n  ventum  Austrum 
magno 12  spiritus  agmine  venisse  obviam  eosque  iiniversos 
cum  omnibus  copils  armisque  cumulis 13  montibusque 
arenarum  supervectis  operuisse.  Eo  facto  Psyllos  ad 
unum  omnls  interisse,  itaque  eorum  fines  a  Nasamonibus 

20  occupatos. 


1  vi    quadam    genitall    datum    bly  to  be  explained  as  an  accusative 
(est) :    '  through    a    sort    of    innate  I  of   respect  (cf.  lana  multa   collum 


force  the  power  was  given.'  For 
quadam  as  helping  to  soften  a  meta- 
phor see  p.  15,  n.  14.  2  Cf.  p.  41, 
nn.  1  and  3.  3  'juices,'  'extracts.' 
4  The  south  wind,  often  hot  and  op- 
pressive, and  so  described  by  Horace 


cervicesqite  circumvolutum,  p.  (59, 
1. 14) ;  06  earn  rem  would  be  more 
natural.  9' against.'  10  res  petl- 
tum :  '  to  seek  satisfaction  ' ;  liter- 
ally '  to  seek  the  things  (which  had 
been  carried  off).'  The  phrase  goes 


as  plumbeus,   'leaden.'    5  'exceed-    back  to  a  time  when  wealth  con- 
ingly.'    6  from    exmvsfo  =  '  to    dry    sisted  not  of  money,  but  of  cattle, 


up.'  7  re  aquaria  defectos :  liter- 
ally '  weakened  in  respect  of  their 
water  supply.'  For  res  aquaria  = 


sheep,  and  other  kinds  of  movable 
property.  n  dative  with  venisse 
obviam,  which  =  ' met.'  12  magno 


aqua,  cf.  p.  17, n.  10.  8  earn  .  .  .  BUS-  j  spiritus  agmine:  '  with  a  mighty 
censuisse:  'became  very  angry  at  blast.'  13  cumulis  .  .  .  operuisse: 
Auster  because  of  this  injury.'  The  '  '  he  covered  them  by  overturning 
accusative  (earn  iniuriam)  with  (supervectis)  upon  them  heaps  and 
suscensere  is  unusual,  and  is  proba-  mountains  of  sand.' 


NOCTES  ATTICAE,  XVI.  19  83 

XVI.  19 
Sumpta  historia  ex  Herodoti  libro  super  fidicine 1  Arione. 

Celeri2  admodum  et  cohibili  oratione  vocumque  filo3 
tereti 4  et  candido 5  fabulam  scripsit  Herodotus  super  fidi- 
cine  illo 6  Arione.     "  Vetus  "  iiiquit    "  et  nobilis  Arion 
cantator  fidibus  f uit.     Is  loco 7  et  oppido  Methymnaeus,8    5 
terra  atque   insula   omni  Lesbius  fuit.     Euin   Arlonem 
rex  Corinth!  Periander9  amlcum  amatumque  habuit  artis 
gratia.10     Is  hide  a  rege  proficiscitur  terras  hiclutas  Sici- 
liam  atque  Italiam  vlsere.     Ybi  eo  venit  auresque  omnium 
mentesque  in   utriusque   terrae   urbibus  demulsit,11  in12  10 
quaestibus  istlc  et  voluptatibus   amoribusque   hominum 
fuit.     Is  turn  postea  grandl  pecuuia  et  re  bona  multa 
copiosus  Corinthiun  instituit  redlre,  navem  igitur  et  navi- 
tas,  ut  notiores  amicioresque   sibi,  Corinthios   delegit." 
Sed13  eos  Corinthios,  homine  accepto  navique  in  altum  15 
provecta,  praedae  pecuniaeque  cupidos  cepisse  consilium 
de  necando  Arione.     Turn  ilium  ibi,  pernicie 14  intellecta, 
pecuniam  ceteraque  sua,  ut  haberent,  dedisse,  vitam  modo 
sibi  ut  parcerent  oravisse.     Navitas  precum  eius  harum 
commiseritum  esse  illactenus,15  ut  el  necem  adferre  per  20 
vim  suls  manibus  temperarent,16  sed  imperavisse,  ut  iam 


1  From  fidicen,  a  player  on  the  :  was  ruler  of  Corinth  from  G25  to  585 
Jides,  '  lyre.'  Cf.  cantator  fidibus,  \  B.C.  10  Cf.  p.  31,  n.  9.  n  'charmed.' 
1.  5.  2  Celeri  .  .  .  oratione:  'in  an  i  12  in  quaestibus  .  .  .  fuit:  i.e.  he 
extremely  rapid  and  concise  style.'  I  made  a  great  deal  of  money,  bc- 
3  from  filum,  a  'thread'  of  anything  :  sides  thoroughly  enjoying  himself 
woven,  then  a  'fiber'  in  general,  then  |  and  winning  general  favor.  13  Note 
metaphorically 'texture'  or 'quality.'  |  that  throughout  the  chapter  Gellius 
4 'well-turned, "tasteful.'  5 ' straight- |  alternates  between  the  direct  and 
forward,'  i.e.  simple,  unaffected.  \  the  indirect  discourse.  14  pernicie 
6  'the  famous.'  7  The  ablatives  in  intellecta:  'seeing  that  his  hour 
this  sentence  are  ablatives  of  speci-  i  had  come.'  How  literally?  ^  'so 
fication.  8  A  citizen  of  Methymna,  j  far  (at  least).'  16  '  refrained  from  ' ; 
on  the  island  of  Lesbos,  which  lay  !  construed  here  with  the  infinitive 
off  the  coast  of  Mysia.  9  Periander  (adferre),  a  rare  usage. 


84 


AULUS  GELLIUS 


statim  coram  desiliret  praeceps  in  mare.  "Homo"  in- 
quit  "  ibi  territus,  spe  omni  vltae  perclita,  id  unum  postea 
oravit,  ut,  priusquam  mortem  obpeteret,  induere  permit- 
terent  sua1  sibi  omnia  indumenta2  et  fides  capere  et 

5  canere  carmen  casus  illlus  sui  consolabile.  Feros  et 
inmanes  navitas  prolubium 3  tamen  audiendi  subit ;  quod 
oraverat,  impetrat.  Atque  ibi  mox  de  more  cinctus,  amic- 
tus,  ornatus  stansque  in  summae  puppis  foro,4  carmen, 
quod  Orthium5  dicitur,  voce  sublatissima 6  cantavit.  Ad 

10  postrema 7  cantus  cum  fidibus  ornatuque  omni,  sicut  sta- 
bat  canebatque,  iecit  sese  procul  in  profundum.  Navitae, 
hautquaquam  dubitantes,  qum  perlsset,  cursum,  quern 
facere  coeperant,  tenuerunt.  Sed  novum  et  mlrum  et 
pium 8  facinus  contigit."  Delphlnum  repente  inter  undas 

15  adnavisse  fluitantique  sese  homini  subdidisse  et  dorso 
super  fluctus  edito  vectavisse  incolumique  eum  corpore 
et  ornatu  Taenarum9  in  terrain  Laconicam  devexisse. 
Turn  Arlonem  prorsus  ex  eo  loco  Corinthum  petlvisse 
talemque  Periandro  regi,  qualis  delphmo  vectus  fuerat. 

20  inopinanti  sese  optulisse  eique  rein,  sicuti  acciderat,  nar- 
ravisse.  Regem  istaec  parum 10  credidisse,  Arlonem,  quasi 
falleret,  custodm  iussisse,  navitas  inqulsltos,  ablegato11 
Arione,  dissimulanter  interrogasse,  ecquid  audlssent  in 
his  locis,  unde  venissent,  super  Arione.  Eos  dixisse  homi- 

25  nem,  cum  inde  irent,  in  terra  Italia  fuisse  eumque 12  illic 
bene  agitare  et  studils  delectationibusque  urbium  florere 
atque  in  gratia  pecuniaque  magna  opulentum  fortuna- 


1  sua  Biti :  cf .  p.  53,  n .  2.  2  '  vest- 
ments,' i.e.  the  dress  which  he  wore 
at  his  public  performances.  3  '  de- 
sire.' 4  from  fonts,  '  a  gangway.' 
c  The  C'cmnen  Orthium  was  an  ex- 
tremely familiar  tune  among  the 
Greeks.  Its  distinguishing  charac- 
teristic was  that  it  was  pitched  in  so 


high  a  key  that  few  voices  could 
reach  it.  6  'extremely  shrill.'  7  here 
a  noun,  'conclusion.'  8  'gracious.' 
9  A  promontory  at  the  southern  end 
of  Laconia,  in  Greece.  10  parum 
credidisse:  'was  loath  to  hHiovo 
this  story.'  n  'removed.'  i- eum 
.  .  .  esse :  cf .  p.  83,  n.  12. 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  XVII.  9  85 

tumque  esse.  Turn  inter  haec  eorum  verba  Arioneni  cum 
fidibus  et  indumentis,  cum  quibus  se  in  salum1  eiacula- 
verat,2  exstitisse,  navitas  stupefactos  convictosque  ire3 
mfitias  non  quisse.  Earn  fabulain  dicere  Lesbios  et  Co- 
rinthios  atque  esse  fabulae  argumentum,  quod  simulacra  5 
duo  aenea  ad  Taenaruni  vlserentur,  delphlnus  vehens  et 
homo  insidens. 

XVII.  9 

De  notis4  litterarum,  quae  in  C.  Caesaris  epistulis  reperiuntur;  deque 
aliis  clandestinis5  litteris  ex  vetere  historia  petitis ;  et  quid  <r/cvTaAr)6 
sit  Laconica.  10 

Libri  sunt  epistularum  C.  Caesaris  ad  C.  Oppium  et 
Balbum  Cornelium,  qui  rebus7  eius  absentis  curabant. 
In  his  epistulis  quibusdam  in  locis  inveniuntur  litterae 
singulariae 8  sine  coagmentis  syllabarum,  quas  tu  putes 
positas  incondite 9 ;  nam  verba  ex  his  litteris  confici  nulla  15 
possunt.  Erat  autem  conventum 10  inter  eos  clandestmum 
de  commutando  situ11  litterarum,  ut  in  scrlpto  quidem 
alia  aliae  locum  et  nomen  ^  teneret,  sed  in  legendo  locus 
culque  suus  et  potestas  ^  restitueretur ;  quaenam  vero  lit- 
tera  pro  qua  scrlberetur  ante  is,13  sicuti  dixl,  conplace-  20 
bat,  qui  hanc  scribendl  latebram  parabant.  Est  adeo 
ProbI M  grammatici  commentarius  satis  curiose  factus  de 

1  =  mare.  2  '  had  flung.'  8  Cf .  j  which  means  that  the  adjacent  let- 
p.  42,  n.  12.  4  Notae  litterarum  is  !  ters  could  not  be  united  into  sylla- 
the  regular  expression  for  'writ-  bles.  9  Cf.  p.  10, 1.  3.  10  '  agreement.' 
ten  characters.'  Here,  however,  the  n  'position,'  'order.'  12  '  value.'  13  Is 
reference  is  to  shorthand  or  steno-  1  (eis—) . . .  conplacebat  : '  was  agreetl 
graphic  signs.  5  clandestinis  lit-  upon  by  those.'  How  literally  ?  14  M. 
teris:  'cipher  systems.'  6  For  the  Valerius  Probus,  a  distinguished 
meaning  of  this  word  see  p.  8(5, 1.  3  f.  I  grammarian  of  the  first  century  A.D., 
"  dative  with  curabant,  an  archaic  who  busied  himself  chiefly  with  the 
construction ;  the  accusative  is  the  I  critical  revision  and  elucidation  of 
regular  construction.  8  singulariae,  j  the  texts  of  various  Latin  authors, 
which  =  '  one  by  one,'  is  immediately  especially  Lucretius,  Vergil,  Horace, 
explained  by  sine  ..  syllabarum,  audPersius.  He  wrote  a  work  also  on 


86 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


occulta  litterarum  significatione  in  epistularum  C.  Cae- 
saris  scriptura. 

Lacedaemonii  autem  veteres,  cum  dissimulare  et  occul- 
tare  litteras  publice  ad  imperatores  suos  missas  volebant, 

5  ne,  si  ab  hostibu,s  eae  captae  forent,  consilia  sua  nosceren- 
tur,  epistulas  id1  genus  factas  mittebant.  Surculi2  duo 
erant  teretes,3  oblongull,4  par!  crassamento5  eiusdemque 
longitudinis,  derasi 6  atque  ornatl  consimiliter ;  unus  im- 
peratorl  in  bellum  proficlscenti  dabatur,  alterum  doml 

10  magistrates  habebant.  Quando  usus  venerat  litterarum 
secretiorum,  circum  eum  surculum  loruin 7  modicae  tenui- 
tatis,  longum  autem  quantum  rei  satis  erat,  conplicabant, 
volumine8  rotundo  et  simplici,  ita  uti9  orae  adiunctae 
undique  et  cohaerentes  lori,  quod  plicabatur,  colrent. 

15  Litteras 10  deinde  in  eo  loro  per  transversas n  iunctura- 
rum  oras  versibus  a  summo  ad  imum  proficiscentibus 
mscribebant ;  id  lorum  litterls  ita  perscrlptis  revolutum 1>2 
ex  surculo  imperatorl  comment!13  istlus  conscio  mitte- 
bant ;  resoliitio 14  autem  lori  litteras  truncas  atque  muti- 

20  las  reddebat 15  membraque 1(i  earum  et  apices  in "  partis 


the  shorthand  systems  in  use  among 
the  Romans,  which  has  survived  in 
an  abridged  form.  Such  systems  are 
often  referred  to  by  Latin  writers. 
Suetonius,  in  his  life  of  Julius  Caesar, 
ch.  5(i,  refers  to  Caesar's  use  of  a  ci- 
pher in  private  letters,  and  says  that 
he  wrote  A  for  D,  B  for  E,  and  so  on. 
1  id  genus :  'as  follows.'  2 'sticks'; 
properly  small  branches  cut  from  a 
living  tree.  3  '  round.'  4  '  rather 
long.'  It  is  said  that  the  staff  was 
about  three  feet  in  length.  5  'thick- 
ness.' °  '  smoothed,'  i.e.  they  lopped 
off  any  twigs  that  might  be  growing 
on  the  branch.  "  Cf.  p.  33,  n.  5. 
8  volumine  . . .  simplici :  '  in  a  single 
(ximplici)  fold  (running)  round  (and 


round).'  fl  uti  .  .  .  colrent:  i.e.  so 
that  the  edges  (orae)  always  met 
closely.  10  Litteras  .  .  .  inscribe- 
bant:  the  lines  ran  (proficiscenti- 
bus) the  whole  length  of  the  stick, 
straight  across  all  the  lapping  edges. 
11  Latin  often  uses  an  adjective  where 
the  English  uses  some  adverbial  ex- 
pression. Cf.  adverso  fit  mine  =  '  up 
stream,'  transversa  charta=  'across 
the  page.'  12  revolutum  .  .  .  mitte- 
bant =  revolvebaitt  et  mittebant. 
13 'device.'  14 'unrolling.'  15  —fa- 
cifbat.  Cf.  praestabant,  p.  87,  1.  8. 
1(5  membra  et  apices :  '  parts  and 
outlines  ' ;  apices  strictly  =  'points.' 
17  in  partis  .  .  .  spargebat :  '  scat- 
tered  pellmell.' 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  XVII.  9 


87 


diversissimas  spargebat :  propterea,  si  id  lorum  in  mantis 
hostium  inciderat,  nihil  quicquam  coniectari  ex  eo  scripto 
quibat;  sed  ubi  ille,  ad  quern  erat  missum,  acceperat, 
surculo1  conpari,  quern  habebat,  a  oapite  ad  finem, 
proinde  ut  debere  fieri  sciebat,  circumplicabat,  atque  ita  5 
lltterae  per2  eundem  am bi turn  stirculi  coalescentes  rursum 
coibant  integramque  et  incorruptam  epistulam  et  faci- 
lem  leg!  praestabant.  Hoc  genus  epistulae  Lacedaemonii 
o-KuroAi/v  appellant. 

Legebamus  id  quoque  in  vetere  historia  rerum  Poeni-  10 
carum,3  virum  indidem 4  quempiam  inlustrem  —  sive  ille 5 
Hasdrubal 6  sive  quis  alius  est  non  retineo 7 —  epistulam 
scriptam   super   rebus   arcanls8  hoc  modo  abscondisse: 
pugillaria9  nova,  nondum  etiam  cera10  inlita,  accepisse, 
litteras  in  lignum  incidisse,  postea  tabulas,  uti  solitum  15 
est,  cera  conlevisse  easque  tabulas,  tamquam  non  scriptas, 
cul n  f acturum  id  praedixerat  misisse ;  eum  deinde  ceram 
derasisse  litterasqvie  incolumes  ligno  incisas  legisse. 

Est  et  alia  in  monumentis  rerum  Graecarum  profunda 
quaedam  et  inopmabilis 12  latebra,  barbarico  astu  excogi-  20 
tata.     Histiaeus  13  nomine  fuit,  loco  natus  in  terra  Asia 
non  Ignobill.     Asiam   tune  tenebat  imperio  rex  Darius. 
Is  Histiaeus,  cum  in  Persis  apud 14  Darium  esset,  Arista- 


1  dative  with  circumplicabat. 
2  per  .  .  .  surculi :  '  through  the 
same  encircling  (ambitum)  of  the 
stick  (by  the  thong),'  i.e.  by  rolling 
the  thong  round  the  stick  in  the  same 
way.  Ambitus  has  here  its  literal 
physical  meaning  (cf.  its  etymology: 
ainbi  'round,'  and  ire).  8  'Cartha- 
ginian.' 4  '  (hailing)  from  that  same 
place,'  i.e.  from  Carthage.  .loin 
with  virum.  5  'the  famous.'  Out 
of  this  meaning  of  ille  is  developed 
the  French  article  le,  In,  and  the 
Italian  lo,  la.  6  A  famous  general, 


commander  of  the  Carthaginian 
forces  in  Spain  about  227-220  B.C. 
r  Sc.  memorid.  8  '  secret.'  9  '  writ- 
ing-tablets '  of  small  size.  Cf.pngil- 
lus,  'a  handful.'  10  'wax.'  n  =  el 
cui ;  in  other  words,  the  antecedent 
is  omitted,  as  often  in  Gellius. 
12  inopinabilis  latebra:  'a  subter- 
fuge wholly  unexpected,'  one  that 
you  would  never '  dream  of . '  i3  Once 
tyrant  of  Miletus,  but  afterwards  in 
the  service  of  Darius,  king  of  Per- 
sia. The  incident  of  the  text  oc- 
curred about  500  B.<\  14  'at  the 


88  AULUS   GELLIUS 

gorae1  cuipiam  res  quasdam  occultas  nuntiare  furtivo 
scripto  volebat.  Comminiscitur 2  opertum  hoc  litterarum 
admirandum.  Servo  suo  diu  oculos  aegros  habenti  capil- 
lum  ex  capite  omni  tamquam  medendi  gratia  deradit 

5  caputque3  eius  leve  in  litterarum .formas  conpungit.  His 
litteris,  quae  voluerat,  perscripsit,  hominem  postea,  quoad 
capillus  adolesceret,  domo  continuit.  Ubi  id  factum  est, 
ire  ad  Aristagoran  iubet  et  "  Cum  ad  eum  "  inquit  "  vene- 
ris,  mandasse  me  dicito,  ut  caput  tuum,  sicut  nuper 

10  egomet  fed,  deradat."  Servus,  ut  imperatum  erat,  ad 
Aristagoran  venit  mandatumque  domini  adfert.  Atque 
ille,  id4  non  esse  frustra  ratus,  quod  erat  rnandatum  fecit. 
Ita  litterae  perlatae 5  sunt. 


XVII.  10 

Quid  de  versibus  Vergilii6  Favorinus"  existumarit. 

15  Favormum  philosophum,  cum  in  hospitis  sui  Antia- 
tem8  villam  aestu9  anni  concessisset  nosque  ad  eum 
videndum  Koma  venissemus,  memini  super  poeta  Ver- 
gilio  in  hunc  feruie  modum  disserere:  "Amici"  inquit 
"  familiaresque  P.  Vergilii  in 10  his,  quae  de  ingenio 

20  moribusque  eius  memoriae  tradiderunt,  dicere  eum  soli- 
turn  ferunt,  parere u  se  versus  more  atque  ritu  ursino. 

court  of.'    Darius,  suspecting  him  !  adjectival  value,  when  coupled  with 
of  treachery,  had  summoned  him  to 
the  court  and  would  not  permit  him 
to  depart. 

1  Aristagoras  was  brother-in-law 
of  Histiaeus.  2  '  He  devises  this  way 
of  secretly  writing  (his  message).' 
opertum  is  here  a  noun,  '  secrecy.' 
3  caput  .  .  .  conpungit:  i.e.  he  tat- 
toos the  message  on  his  head.  4  id  ... 
ratus :  '  thinking  that  this  (proceed- 
ing) was  not  without  significance.' 
In  colloquial  Latin  frustra  often  has 


esse.  5  '  was  carried  to  its  destina- 
tion.' Note  the  force  of  the  prefix. 
6  P.  Vergilius  Maro,  the  great  Roman 
poet  (70-19  B.C.),  best  known  by  his 
great  epic  poem  entitled  Aeneis 
(Aeneid).  J  See  Introduction,  §  5. 
8  Antiatem  villam  :  a  villa  at  An- 
tium,  a  town  of  Latium,  famous  for 
its  temple  of  Fortuna.  9  aestu  anni 
=  aestate ;  cf.  our  phrase, '  the  heated 
term.'  10  in  his  quae:  'among  those 
things  which.'  u  'produced.' 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  XVII.  16  89 

Namque  ut l  ilia  bestia  f  etum  ederet 2  ineffi  giatum 8  mf  6r- 
memque  lambendoque 4  id  postea,  quod  ita  edidisset, 
conf ormaret 2  et  fingeret,2  proinde1  ingenii  quoque  sui 
partus  recentes  rudi  esse  facie  et  inperfecta,  sed  deinceps 
tractando  colendoque  reddere  iis  se  oris  et  vultiis  llnia-  5 
menta.  Hoc  virum  iudicii  subtilissimi  ingenue  atque 
vere  dlxisse  res"  inquit  "indicium  facit.  Nam  quae 
reliquit  perfecta  expolitaque  quibusque  inposuit  census5 
atque  dilectus  sui  supremam  manum  omni  poeticae  venu- 
statis  laude  florent;  sed  quae  procrastinata  sunt  ab  eo,  10 
ut  post  receiiserentur,6  et  absolvl,7  quoniam  mors  prae- 
verterat,  iiequlverunt,  nequaquam  poetarum  elegantissiml 
nomine  atque  iudicio  dlgna  sunt.  Itaque  cum  morbo 
obpressus  adventare  mortem  viderat,  petlvit  oravitque  a 
suis  amicissimis  inpense,8  ut  Aeneida,  quam  nondum  15 
satis  ellmavisset/  adolerent.10 " 

XVII.  16 

Anates  u  Poiiticas  vim  habere  venenis 12  dlgerendis  potentem ;  atqne  w 
iuibi  de  Mithridati  regis  in14  id  genus15  medieameiitum  sollertia. 

Anates  Ponticas  dlcitur  edundis  vulgo  venenis  victi- 
tare.     Scriptum  etiam  a  Lenaeo,10  Cn.  Pompei17  liberto,  20 


1  'as ...  so.'    2  The  subjunctive  is 
due  to  the  indirect  discourse,  which 


lius  as  =  vehementer,  valde.     9  '  had 
filed  smooth,'  i.e.  perfected.    Cf.  the 


contains  Vergil's  statement  as  re- j  metaphor  in  expolita,  1.  8.  10  'de- 
ported by  his  friends.  3  '  shapeless.'  |  stroy.'  u  '  Ducks.'  12  venenis  dige- 
Fpr  the  synonyms  here,  as  in  1.  3,  ;  rendis  :  a  dative  of  purpose  with 
conformaret^et  fingeret,  and  inge-  vim  . . .  potentem  =  '  had  the  power 
nue  atque  vere,  1.  (i,  see  p.  1C,  u.  3.  to  digest  (eat  safely)  poisons.'  Cf. 
4 -hy  lickiiii,' them.'  5  census  ...  ma-  p.  00, 1.  3.  13  Cf.  p.  2fi,  n.  1.  u  Join 
num:  literally 'the  finishing  touches  in  medicamentum  with  sollertia, 
(ntanitm)  of  his  critical  judgment  a  very  unusual  construction.  The 


(census)  and  his  discrimination  (di- 
lectus),' i.e.  the  touches  suggested  by 
his  own  discriminating  judgment. 


genitive  is  the  common  idiom;  cf. 
the  genitive  with  sollers,  p.  90, 1.  1. 
15  'of  that  sort,'  an  accusative  of 


6  '  revised.'       =  perfici.    «  literally  j  respect,    w  A  writer  on  medical  sub- 
' expensively,'  but  often  used  by  Gel-    jects.    17  Pompey  the  Great. 


90  AVLUS   GELLIUS 

Mithridatem  ilium  Ponti  regem  medicinae l  rel  et  remedio- 
rum  id  genus  sollertem  fuisse  solituraque  earum  sangui- 
nem  miscere  medicamentis,  quae  digerendis  venenls 
valent,  eumque  sanguinem  vel  potentissimum  esse  in  ea 

5  conf ectione 2 ;  ipsura  autem  regem  adsiduo  talium  medel- 
larum  usu  a3  clandestmis  epularum  Insidils  cavisse; 
qum4  et  scientem  quoque  ultro  et  ostentandl  gratia 
venenum 5  rapidum  et  velox  saepenuinero  hausisse,  atque 
id  tamen  sine  noxa  fuisse.  Quamobrem  postea,  cum 

10  proelio  victus  in  ultima  regni  refugisset  et  mori  decre- 
visset,  venena  violentissima  festmandae  necis  causa  fru- 
stra  expertus,  suo  se  ipse  gladio  transegit. 

XVII.  17 

Mithridatem,  Ponti  regem,  duarum  et  viginti  gentium  linguis  locutum ; 
Qumtumque  Ennium6  tria  corda "  habere  sese  dixisse,  quod  tris 
15         linguas  percalluisset,8  Graecam,  Oscam,9  Latinam. 

Qumtus  Ennius  tria  corda  habere  sese  dicebat,  quod 
loqui  Graece  et  Osce  et  Latme  sciret.  Mithridates  autem, 
Ponti  atque  Bithyiiiae  rex  inclutus,  qui  a  Cn.  Pompeio 
bello  superatus  est,  duarum  et  viginti  gentium,  quas  sub 
20  dicione  habuit,  linguas  percalluit  earumque  omnium  gen- 
tium viris  haut  umquam  per  interpretem  conlocutus  est, 
sed  ut 10  quemque  ab  eo  appellarl "  usus  f uit,  proinde 10 

1  medicinae  is  here  an  adjective,  '  twenty  are  known  to  us  through  frag- 
an  archaic  use.  For  medicinae  rel  |  ments ;  and  (2)  an  historical  poem  in 
as  =  a  simple  medicinae,  cf.  p.  17,  n.  j  eighteen  books,  entitled  Annales,  in 
10.  2  '  mixture,'  'antidote.'  3  a  .  .  .  ;  which  he  traced  the  history  of  Rome 
cavisse:  'guarded  against.'  4quin  from  the  earliest  times  to  his  own 
et  =  '  nay  more,'  introduces  a  more  day.  "  'intelligences.'  Cor,  espe- 
striking  point.  6  venenum  rapi-  cially  in  early  Latin,  oft  en  =  ' the  seat 
dum  :  the  opposite  of  venenum  ...  of  the  intellect ';  cf.cordatus, '  saga- 
non  praesentarium,  p.  59, 1.  18.  6  A  cious,'  vecors,  'senseless.'  8  '  had 


distinguished  Roman  poet  (239-169 
B.C.),  often  called  the  'Father  of 
Roman  literature.'  His  chief  works 


become  skilled  in,'  i.e.  had  mastered. 
9  The  Osci  belonged  to  the  Samnite 
branch  of  the  Italian  race.  10  Cf. 


were  (1)  Tragedies,  of  which  some    p.  89,  n.  1.     n  'addressed.' 


NOCTES   ATTICAE,  XIX.  5  91 

lingua  et  oratione  ipsius  non  minus  scite  quani  si  gentl- 
lis l  ems  esset,  locutus  est. 

XIX.  3 

Quod  turpius  est  frigide  2  laudari  quam  acerjnus  vituperari. 

Turpius  esse   dicebat  Favormus  philosophus  exigue3 
atque  frigide  laudari  quam  insectanter 4  et  graviter  vitu-    5 
perari :  "  Quoniam  "  inquit  "  qul  maledicit  et  vituperat, 
quanto  id  acerbius  facit,  tarn5  maximo  ille  pro  inimico  et 
iniquo  ducitur  et  plerumque  propterea  fidem  non  capit. 
Sed  qui  mf  ecunde 6  atque  ieiune 6  laudat,  destitui  a  causa 
videtur  et  amicus  quidem7  creditur  eius,  quern  laudare  10 
vult,  sed 7  nihil  posse  reperire,  quod  iure  laudet." 

XIX.  5 

Ex  Aristotelis  libris  sumptum,  quod  nivis  aqua  potui8  pessima  sit. 

In  Tiburte9  rus  concesseramus  hominis  amici  divitis 
aestate  ann!  flagrantissima  ego  et  quidam  alii  aequales 10 
et  familiares  mei,  eloquentiae  aut  philosophiae  secta-  15 
tores.11  Erat  noblscum  vir  bonus  ex  Peripatetica  ^  dlsci- 
pllna,  bene  doctus  et  Aristotelis  unice  studiosissimus. 
Is  nos  aquam  multam  ex  diluta 13  nive  bibentes  coercebat 

1  =p'.>puli'tri«.    'fellow    country-   pro    inimico  .  .  .  ducitur.     6  Both 
man.'  [words  =    'meagerly,'     'sparingly.' 

2  frigide  laudari :  '  to  be  damned    '  Cf.'p.  24,  n.  13.     8  '  for  drinking ' ; 
with  faint  praise.'    3  '  feebly.'    4  '  bit-  j  dative  oipotus.    9  Tiburte  rus :  '  an 
terly.'     The  word   is    derived   ulti-    estate  at  Tibur,'  a  town  sixteen  miles 
mately  from  insequor,  and  the  idea    southeast    of    Rome.      10  Sc.    nntu. 
suggested  by  it  is  that  of  one  person    u '  students.'  12  i.e.  the  school  founded 
pursuing    or    '  hounding '    another,    by  Aristotle  and  called  Peripatetic 
5  tam  maximo:  join  maximo  with  in-  \  (cf.  TreptTrar^riKOj,  'given  to  walk- 
imico.    tarn  is  correlative  to  quanta,   ing  about'),  from  Aristotle's  habit 
The  more  usual  formula  would  be  '  of  walking  to  and  fro  with  his  pupils 
quanto  id  acerbiits  facit,  tanto  mugis    during  lessons.    13  'melted.' 


92 


AULUS   GELLIUS 


severiusque  increpabat.1  Adhibebat2  nobis  auctoritates 
nobilium  medicorum  et  cum3  prim  Is  Aristotelis  philo- 
sophl,  rel  omnis  humanae  perltissiml,  qui  aquam  nivalem 
frugibus  sane  et  arboribus  fecundam  dlceret,  sed  homini- 

5  bus  potu4  niinio  Insalfibrem  esse  tabemque5  et  morbos 
sensim c  atque  in-  diem  longam  vlsceribus  mseminare. 

Haec  quidem  ille  ad7  nos  prudenter  et  benivole  et  adsi- 
due8  dictitabat.  Sed  cum  bibendae  nivis  pausa  fieret 
nulla,  promit  e  bibliotheca  Tlburtl,  quae  tune  in  Herculis 

10  templo  satis  commode  instructa  libiis  erat,  Aristotelis 
librum  eumque  ad  nos  adfert  et  "  Huius  saltern  " 9  inquit 
"  sapientissiml  viii  verbls  credite  ac  desinite  valitudinem 
vestram  profligare." 

In  eo  libro  scrlptnm  fuit  deterrimam  esse  potu  aquam 

15  e  nive.     Hoc  ubi  legimus,  placuit  honorem   doctissimo 
viro  haberi  Aristoteli.      Atque  ita  postea  ego 10  bellum  u 
^et  odimn  nivl  indlxl,  alii  indutias12  cum  ea  varie  factita- 
bant. 


1 '  rebuked.'  2  '  produced,' '  cited.' 
3  cum  prlmis  =  -in  primis,  '  espe- 
cially.' 4  potu  niinio:  causal  abla- 
tive =  '  by  excessive  drinking,'  i.e. 
if  drunk  to  excess.  5  tabem  et 
morbos  :  '  wasting  and  disease,'  i.e. 
'  wasting  illness.'  6  sensim  .  .  . 
diem:  '  gradually  and  against  a  dis- 


tant day.'  We  may  render  by  ad- 
jectives: 'slow  and  protracted.' 
"  ad  nos  .  .  .  dictitabat :  cf .  p.  36, 
n.  1.  8  adsidue  dictitabat :  cf .  p.  33, 
n.7.  9<  at  least.'  10  contrasted  with 
alii,  which  here  =  ceteri.  n  bel- 
lum et  odium:  'war  to  the  knife.' 
12  '  truce.' 


INDEX   AUCTORUM. 


This  index  of  the  authors  mentioned  by  Gellius  in  these  selections 
has  been  prepared  as  a  supplement  to  the  commentary.  For  example, 
Varro  is  mentioned  in  several  passages,  yet  in  only  one  place  in  the 
notes  is  information  given  concerning  him.  At  the  same  time,  since 
the  index  gives  a  conspectus  of  all  the  authors  mentioned  or  directly 
quoted  by  Gellius  in  this  portion  of  his  work,  it  may  help  to  illustrate 
the  statements  made  in  §  11  of  the  introduction,  especially  if  we  bear 
in  mind  that  less  than  one  tenth  of  the  text  of  the  Nodes  Atticae  is 
included  in  the  present  volume.  The  references  are  to  the  places  in 
the  introduction  or  the  notes  where  information  is  given  concerning 
the  author  or  his  works. 


Accius,  L.  :  p.  72,  n.  12. 
Aesopus  :  p.  34,  n.  3. 
Albinus,  A.  Postumius  :  p.  68,  n.  1. 
Antonius  lulianus  :   Introduction, 

§4. 

Apion  :  p.  54,  nn.  7,  8,  and  17. 
Aristoteles  :   p.  61,  n.   11  ;   p.  73, 

n.  18;  p.  91,  n.  12. 
Ateius  Capito  :  p.  48,  n.  9. 
Caecilius  Statius  :  p.  21,  n.  21. 
Calvisius  Taurus  :  see  Taurus. 
Castricius,  T.  :  Introduction,  §  4. 
Cato,  M.  Porcius  :  p.  29,  n.  6. 
Chares  :  p.  48,  n.  13. 
Claudius  Quadrigarius,  Q. :  p.  23, 

n.  3. 

Critolaus  :  p.  69,  n.  2. 
Democritus  :  p.  50,  n.  8. 
Demosthenes  :  p.  62,  n.  2. 
Ennius,  Q.  :  p.  90,  n.  6. 
Euclides  (the  philosopher)  :  p.  60, 

n.  10. 


Favorinus  :  Introduction,  §  5. 

Herodotus  :  p.  53,  n.  6. 

lulius  Hyginus,  C.  :  p.  22,  n.  6. 

Lenaeus  :  p.  89,  n.  16. 

Masurius   Sabinus  :   p.  45,  nn.   11 

and  12. 

Naevius,  Cn.  :  p.  31,  nn.  6  and  10. 
Pacuvius,  M.  :  p.  31,  n.  8. 
Plato  :  p.  49,  n.  14. 
Plautus,  T.  Maccius :  p.  31,  n.  7. 
Plutarchus  :  p.  77,  n.  2. 
Probus,  M.  Valerius :  p.  85,  n.  14. 
Protagoras  :   p.  49,  n.  11,  and  p. 

50,  n.  16. 

Taurus  :  Introduction,  §  6. 
Theophrastus  :  p.  41,  n.  4. 
Tubero,  Q.  Aelius  :  p.  59,  n.  1. 
Tuditanus,  C.  Sempronius  :  p.  59, 

n.  10. 

Valerius  Antias  :  p.  23,  n.  10. 
Varro,  M.  Terentius  :  p.  26,  n.  2. 
Vergilius  Maro,  P.  :  p.  88,  n.  6. 


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